| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5] | Only a theory Thread poster: Oliver Walter
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Phil Hand 
China
Local time: 04:34
Chinese to English
| Chinese generally avoids this issue | Dec 20, 2013 |
The word for "theory" in Chinese doesn't have the "speculative" meaning. Of course, there are plenty of other avenues for confusion - the word for evolution in Chinese looks very much as though it means "advancement theory", and many many people I know think that evolution is teleological - about organisms getting "better".
I have to conclude that such confusions of meaning are often going to be possible for many words because of the way languages develop. When new ideas, concepts, processes etc. arise, they will sometimes be named using existing words, and confusion and misuse will then be possible until (if it ever happens) a new and different word is used which clearly has the new meaning and the old word then has only the old meaning.
I agree with all of that except for one thing: confusions are often going to be possible because of the way languages *are*. Even if there were no change over time, people would still use words for different things, and there would still be laymen's and professional uses, and imprecision and metaphor and all the other fun of the fair. Diachronic change is just one of many processes that confound language and stop it being purely "logical" and consistent. And that's where we come in!
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 22:34
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Oliver Walter wrote:
Here are some Web references to the "only a theory" accusation...
(This is more spatially and temporally economical than selecting quotes from each of them and then posting those quotes, and more appropriate in what is supposed to be a linguistic discussion.)
I agree (-: Unfortunately I couldn't give URLs to the dictionaries in my previous post (but if you know that word "torrent" can mean more than just a lot of water, then the world is your oyster).
Suffice to say that you have convinced me that there are actually a large number of serious people who think that "evolution" is only a theory in the speculative sense.
On the other hand, it is only natural for people who are not convinced of a scientifically establish theory to use the phrase "only a theory" to trivialise it, particularly if the theory interferes with other agendas. One example is the theory of climate change, for which the "proof" is far greater than that of macro-evolution, but which is brushed off as "only a theory" by many otherwise rational thinking people (including Americans).
I would not be surprised if scientists themselves use the expression "only a theory" when dissing scientific theories that they disagree with or are unconvinced of or feel threatened by.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 22:34
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| @Oliver, how do French/German newspapers deal with "only a theory"? | Dec 20, 2013 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
On the other hand, it is only natural for people who are not convinced of a scientifically establish theory to use the phrase "only a theory" to trivialise it, particularly if the theory interferes with other agendas. One example is the theory of climate change, for which the "proof" is far greater than that of macro-evolution, but which is brushed off as "only a theory" by many otherwise rational thinking people.
Since you speak both French and German, you are in an excellent position to quickly check how German and French newspapers have reported when the US government downplayed the theory of climate change as "only a theory". Did the newspapers translate "theory" directly?
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 02:04
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Most scientific terms have a very narrow and specific meaning | Dec 21, 2013 |
The lay use and scientific use of terms are entirely different. In science, words picked from the general language are given a specific meaning which is clearly defined, so as to preclude any confusion with the myriad ways in which the same word may be used in the lay language. This of course does not mean that lay usage of these terms become narrow and specific once these terms have been appropriated by science for its specific use. Lay language continues to use these terms in its vibrant and c... See more The lay use and scientific use of terms are entirely different. In science, words picked from the general language are given a specific meaning which is clearly defined, so as to preclude any confusion with the myriad ways in which the same word may be used in the lay language. This of course does not mean that lay usage of these terms become narrow and specific once these terms have been appropriated by science for its specific use. Lay language continues to use these terms in its vibrant and creative way, incorporating now, even if sometimes incorrectly or partially, the new scientific meanings of these terms.
A few examples from school science will clarify this.
Work: This word is used in hundreds of shades of meaning in general language, but it physics it is applied to a situation where an applied force displaces an object by some distance, and this quantity is measured in the unit of joules.
Element: in chemistry it specifically means matter made of the same type of atoms, though in general language element can have many meanings.
So if clergymen use theory or any other word in a way that is different from the way scientists use those words, it is hardly surprising.
The language of science should not be confused with lay writing, and the observe is also equally true. ▲ Collapse
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| Only a theory | Dec 21, 2013 |
I think it is important to understand that what is accepted as scientific fact today, may have started out as a hypothesis or conjecture. Einstein's theory of relativity was originally a theory in the sense of "definition 2" but was subsequently validated through experiment. Similarly, the evolution hypothesis has accumulated sufficient supporting evidence to convince the knowledgable student as to its truth.
It may be that the multiple definitions of the word theory reflect the fa... See more I think it is important to understand that what is accepted as scientific fact today, may have started out as a hypothesis or conjecture. Einstein's theory of relativity was originally a theory in the sense of "definition 2" but was subsequently validated through experiment. Similarly, the evolution hypothesis has accumulated sufficient supporting evidence to convince the knowledgable student as to its truth.
It may be that the multiple definitions of the word theory reflect the fact that as time passes, explanations about natural phenomena gain or lose credibility but we do not have a linguistic tool to reflect this. There are many shades of "grey" but the one word is used for all. ▲ Collapse
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