The most important theme here is Education and Awareness.

Ignorance, whether intentional or not, is not to be tolerated.

It is too easy to ignore what is true. Often, what is true is not what sates us. The hard way is usually the right way, and what is right should be based on truth and fact. Facts and truths can only be arrived at by logic and reason. As humans, our only reliable faculty to understand the world in a predictable and reproducible manner is through scientific empiricism.

As a practicing scientist, one learns the correct way to approach complex problems in a methodical, and logical manner. This approach gleans often simple, elegant patterns that the universe has employed to regulate the processes of life and non-life.

One important aspect to understand this methodology is discriminating between Scientific Law, Theory, Hypothesis, Fact, and Guess (yes, believe it or not, rarely, guessing is important in scientific journeys).

A singular reason for even beginning this entry is simply to put to bed the idea that Theory is NOT a Guess. A Theory is NOT a Hypothesis (But a hypothesis can be framed into a Theory). A Theory is NOT a mutable idea in a sense that I will explain shortly.

For my educated friends and non alike:

Scientific Law: An idea or body of truths, facts, and observations that can be boiled down into a simple mathematical relationship that can reproducibly and reliably explain a natural phenomenon. E=mc^2; F=ma; k=0.5mv^2, etc.

A Law is the highest form of proof in science. Laws are common in areas that rely heavily on mathematical proof as models. Life sciences have a harder time with this, not because it is impossible, but rather that Biology incorporates many different laws into a complex system. Biology will itself be explained by laws sometime in the future, when our understanding becomes more comprehensive. Not to be outdone however, a Theory is just as serious and acceptable as a Law when placed into practical context.

Scientific Theory: A set of Laws, truths, and facts describing a relationship or several phenomena. Theories are the highest form of scientific proof in all but mathematics. Scientists should simply replace ‘Theory’ with ‘Law,’ but due to science’s anachronistic nomenclature, most people equate Theory with ‘guess’ at worst, and “we’re not 100% sure” at best.

100% not true.

A theory is, for all intents and purposes, true. Take evolution: It has withstood 150 years of intense scientific scrutiny. It has never been disproved. It has been suggested that it is Man’s single most insightful discovery about the natural world. Without its veracity, we would not have modern medicine, technology, or even continue to exist. And many still feel science is still a bit unsure about it. Evolution is true. Whether you believe it or not, evolution by natural selection is a fact and is occurring within the human population, as well as all the other species vying for a successful slot in this stochastically driven world.

So as a recap: Law: 100% true in math. Theory: 100% true in the life sciences.

Yes, I know that theories can be disproved. So can laws. But that’s the beauty of science. It is not pompous. It changes with each new discovery. But with enough testing the likelihood of a theory becoming falsified becomes slimmer and slimmer, just never enough to raise the percentage to exactly 100. I act as if evolution is 100% true, even though we cannot test every possible situation every time. That’s OK. Science is predicative. And Sexy.

Hypothesis: A guess backed by a body of facts and truths that has yet to be tested. It can be wrong, and often it is. But the results that came from the wrong answer direct us to the correct one. Hypotheses that routinely are not disproved or are supported by more results develop into theories.

Fact: The building blocks of Hypotheses, Theories, and Laws. Based on empirical, deductive reasoning, facts help form our models and explanations for how and why the world is as it is.

Guess: A whimsy statement. “I feel like the sky is blue because a magic sky fairy is crapping blue, liquid diamonds.” No facts to back it up. Often no logic (although faulty logical can be employed). Ignorance often driving the bus here. You’re better off developing a hypothesis.

Better yet, don’t be ignorant. Educate yourself. It’s hard, but the correct action to take.

(Nod to PZ. Thanks for inspiring this blog.)