Analysis

(i) When creationists dismiss evolution as "just a theory," they mean to say that it is at best a speculative proposal, or at worst a mere guess. Such an assessment has been rejected for over a century by the scientific consensus, which recognizes that evolution has been established by evidence as firmly as anything can be: not for no reason is evolution considered the cornerstone of modern biology.

(ii) But if evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology, why do scientists still refer to the theory of evolution? Doesn't this prove that they themselves believe evolution to be speculative? On the contrary, the word "theory" has a specialized meaning in scientific usage that is much stronger than its colloquial meaning. In scientific circles, the word "theory" usually designates a wide explanatory framework that has reached the highest standard of confirmation by factual evidence. When scientists want to talk about a mere conjecture, they use the word "hypothesis." As zoologist Tim Berra explains:

>A scientific theory is the endpoint of the scientific method, often the foundation of an entire field of knowledge, and is not to be confused with the sort of "theory" we so easily propose in everyday conversation. (Berra 1990:4)

To say that evolution is "just a theory" is at best to make a mistake comparable to saying that Copernican theory, electromagnetic theory, quantum theory, the theory of relativity, the theory of continental drift, and the germ theory of disease, to name a few, are just guesses. Evolution is a theory only in the same robust scientific sense as all of these other theories. Creationism, on the other hand, is not even a theory.

(iii) To its credit, the creationist organization Answers in Genesis advises against making this assertion. The assertion AiG recommends as a replacement (namely, that evolution is an unsubstantiated conjecture) is equally false, but at least does not trade on confusion over the word "theory."

References

Berra TM. 1990. Evolution and the Myth of Creationism. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Defender's Guide to Science and Creationism
Copyright © 1997, 2012, Mark I. Vuletic. All rights reserved.