Tricky One

[MichaelXY]

I ran across this question in one of my books.
If an explanation is not scientific, does that mean it is not true?

I am thinking, everything can be explained by science, but many things are subjective. What about religion? Hmm

[mith]

If an explanation is scientific, does that mean it is true?

[MichaelXY]

Well scientific explanations are often found to be untrue such as, continental drift, and I see your point, but I am still befuzzled by this question. This question seems silly to me. I can explain how I got my name, and it would be true, and it would have nothing to do with science.

I am sure there is a point to be learned by this question, but I have yet to see it.

[mith]

I think the point is that scientific processes work by observation and induction with really no claims on truthness. A theory is solid if it is justifiable within the context of other theories and the predictions based on it are consistent.

[MichaelXY]

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

[AstusAleator]

Continental drift is untrue? Since when?

Anyway, laws of physics that we recognize as truth were not scientific truths until they were put through the scientific process.

But, if someone were to state them, without any supporting evidence, they would still be true even though they weren't scientific yet.

Likewise, if all scientific observations point to a particular truth, and it is declared as such, there is still the possibility that it isn't actually true

[MichaelXY]

Continental drift is untrue? Since when?

Since plate tectonics around the 1960's.
But let me add that schools kept teaching CD up into the seventies. I think your age is showing:)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics

[mcar]

Here comes our hypothesis, theory, and law.
Opinion enters too. Science is governed by natural laws, and these laws must be able to explain such. Since we have hypothesis and theories, here comes research. Science has still tentative conclusions and is falsifiable--characteristics of science.

Science is neutral on religion--that is it does not favor one over the other.

[AstusAleator]

Hmmm, I must have misunderstood the definition of continental drift.

I took it to address of the movement of continents as a result of plate tectonics... ie pangaea breaking into subcontinents, India slamming into Asia, etc.

After reading the wiki you linked, I see that the term continental drift existed before tectonics, but that rather than disproving it, tectonics explained it and solidified it...

So really while some of the older explanations for continental drift may have been disproven, it still exists, as explained by plate tectonics.

[onexsoul]

I ran across this question in one of my books.
If an explanation is not scientific, does that mean it is not true?

I am thinking, everything can be explained by science, but many things are subjective. What about religion? Hmm

no
have u ever read the story about the athist professor and the christian student? he asks the kid that according to science his God did not exsist since he could not hear, touch, see and such him
so the kid asks the students if they had ever heard, seen, touched, and such the professors brain. they had not so according the laws of science to this college students the professors brain did not excist

SO! no its doesnt mean that it isnt true... but that is my opinion and many people have dissagreed about this subject

[MichaelXY]

We could see, touch and such his brain if we cut his skull open. From past experience of other researchers though, we already know he has a brain.

[onexsoul]

We could see, touch and such his brain if we cut his skull open. From past experience of other researchers though, we already know he has a brain.

yes BUT the students did not have the time NOR the reasources to do so and so from their own knowledge his brain did not excist HOWEVER they beleived he had a brain only because we know humans have brains. But if we did not know that humans had brains, then we could not know he had a brain
there is evidence that a higher diety excists and scientist need to admit that much more often