Evolution Tricks
Many uninformed or non-scientific young earth creationists (YEC) are lambasted for saying that 'evolution is only a theory', when attempting to downplay molecules to man evolution. Creation Ministries advises people not to use this as an argument because

What people usually mean when they say this is ‘Evolution is not proven fact, so it should not be promoted dogmatically.’ Therefore people should say that. The problem with using the word ‘theory’ in this case is that scientists use it to mean a well-substantiated explanation of data. This includes well-known ones such as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Newton’s Theory of Gravity, and lesser-known ones such as the Debye–Hückel Theory of electrolyte solutions and the Deryagin–Landau/Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory of the stability of lyophobic sols, etc. It would be better to say that particles-to-people evolution is an unsubstantiated hypothesis or conjecture.

Personally, it is understandable that someone who hasn't studied science or the philosophy of science would say something like this, as they are not referring to the scientific meaning of the word 'theory', but instead the layman's meaning. It isn't wrong to say it, it is just not desirable as it can confuse the meaning of what was being said.

This all relates clearly to the Kenyan Museum's evolutionary fossil display, which has been catching press lately for a Bishop's efforts to ban the display. From the article

Against him is one of the planet's best-known fossil hunters, Richard Leakey, whose team unearthed the bones at Nariokotome in West Turkana, in the desolate, far northern reaches of Kenya in 1984.

"Whether the bishop likes it or not, Turkana Boy is a distant relation of his," Leakey, who founded the museum's prehistory department, told The Associated Press. "The bishop is descended from the apes and these fossils tell how he evolved."

and further on

"Evolution is a fact," adds Mbua [Dr. Emma Mbua, the head of paleontology at the museum], who has run the department for the last five years.

"Turkana Boy is our jewel," she said. "For the first time, we will be taking him out of the strong room and showing our heritage to the world."

Trained scientists who proclaims that 'evolution is fact' are talking about their faith, not science, because it is impossible for science to conclude that any of it's theories or hypotheses are 'fact'.

Considering these are trained in the scientific method, I have to wonder why they would promote their faith as a finding of science? When evolutionists jump on YEC'ers for the 'evolution is only a theory' argument in light of the many evolutionist scientists who claim 'evolution is fact', it is clear that they should look to their own unscientific pronouncements for the cause of the confusion.
- posted by Alan Grey @ Friday, February 09, 2007