Asshole of the Year Award 2024

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are facts always facts?
Is a fact always true? A philosopher explains how to spot the difference

 

Yes--Considered to be true---- But found out not to be true.= Someone got it wrong.

There are absolutely "right facts" --Again the facts don't change, only our understanding of the situation. The understanding may be correct, or not.= Someone got it wrong.
A consensus does not equal a fact. =Many people got something wrong.
It never was a fact if it was disproven. =Someone got it wrong.
Agreed. but if they got it wrong-it wasn't a fact.

 

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Fact=a thing that is known or proved to be true:
Theory=a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained:

Fact= KNOWN or PROVEN to be true.
Theory=a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained

Many times Theory is passed along as fact.

 

What are your sources for those definitions? Ordinarily, providing those would be basic when offering definitions that are supposedly so--definitive. If only it were that simple. A scientific theory is "a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses and facts. The theory of gravitation, for instance, explains why apples fall from trees and astronauts float in space. Similarly, the theory of evolution explains why so many plants and animals—some very similar and some very different—exist on Earth now and in the past, as revealed by the fossil record."
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/evolution-today/what-is-a-theory
Scientific Theory Definition and Examples
Scientific theory - Wikipedia
When Ronnie Reagan said evolution is "only a theory" he was using the term in the layperson's sense. Most scientists think it's close to a fact, but as I've said, one pre-Cambrian rabbit could prove them all wrong.

In this world of "alternative facts", where do your definitions get you? You're the one who offered up Mark Levin as a source of information. Do you consider what he says mainly factual? How do ou go about checking to see if what he says is factual--or do you? What do you consider to be "a thing known or proved to be true?" Are we talking "beyond a reasonable doubt", "preponderance of the evidence", "clear and convincing" evidence, "substantial evidence"? And as determined by whom. I'd find it hard to get through life on the basis of "facts" as you've so narrowly defined them. Most of the important decisions in my life were made on the basis of substantial evidence (enough to convince a reasonable person), but certainly not "proof" (enough to convince practically everyone. "Substantial evidence" is the level of evidence required of government agencies in making decisions concerning our health and welfare. Crude though it might seem, it strikes me as a lot better than the one currently used by Musk, inc., in decimating federal agencies.

 

"A theory isn’t speculation about what might be true. It is a set of propositions that seek to explain a particular phenomenon or set of facts. A theory can be tested and shown to be accurate or modified as the evidence requires. Even when a theory is accepted as fact, it remains a theory."

Which means that theories are based on facts. Here is the article I pulled the quote from if anyone is interested in reading a more indepth explanation.

When does a theory become a fact and who decides?.

 

Having worked as a roofer from the age of 27 up until my 70s---I know for a fact that gravity is REAL and not a theory. It was proven to me 4 times .

 

Just remember kids that about 7% of american adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows!

Do Some People Really Think Chocolate Milk Comes from Brown Cows? | Live Science

 

Is the Oxford Dictionary adequate?
fact noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
a thing that is known or proved to be true:
theory noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained:

I'm quite certain the "experts" here know better than the Oxford Dictionary.

 

Why are you quoting me for this?
Did you bother reading the article? None of it negates your definitions but it gives a more in depth understanding of what it means.

I can Google shit too. I type in "define theory" and your oxford definition is right at the top, you want to know what happens when you scroll down? You get things like the article I found and you get things like this,


I screenshot it for you just in case you didn't want to bother looking for yourself. Notice the difference between where the subheadings say "in science" and "in other contexts" you are confusing that last line there for what you think theory means as pertaining to science. It's not.

Language changes over time, sometimes words can have multiple meanings depending on how they are used. In everyday usage I might speculate on something and say, "but that's just my theory" because it is just my opinion or I have nothing to actually back it up...that's not how it's used in science, in science theories are backed up by facts, sometimes new facts come to light that we did not have before, the old facts are still true or they would not have been facts but the theory can change to account for the new information.

Please stop arguing with people when you won't even take the time to try and understand anything outside of what you think you know because you are stuck on your very narrow understanding of it based solely on your interpretation, or misinterpretation, of a basic definition.

The "experts" here find actual experts to reference, maybe you should too, beyond the first entry to your googling a definition.

 

Andrew Tate or kathie Hochul

 

I've got to put my 2 cents into this discussion. I have a degree in chemistry with a minor in physics. There are scientific theories and scientific facts.

If you introduce pure hydrogen gas into pure oxygen and provide a source of ignition, it will always produce water. It will never produce hydrogen peroxide, hydrocarbons or anything else. This is a scientific fact.

Quantum theory is an attempt to explain what is going on at a subatomic level. Even Richard Feynman admitted he didn't understand quantum physics. As we learn more through experiments it changes our understanding and we modify the theory to accommodate our new understanding. A theory is based on our current knowledge of the universe.

There are lots of theories. Evolution, religion, global warming, how the brain works and expansion of the universe are just a few. These will change over time as new knowledge is gained. If you want to blow your mind, think of this. What is the universe expanding into? Anything that expands has to move into something, or does it.

3,000 years ago, we knew the world was flat. 1,000 years ago we knew the world was round but it was the center of the universe. 400 years ago we knew the world orbits the sun. 200 years ago we knew the solar system orbited around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Just imagine what we'll know 1,000 years from now.

 

As to the political discussion here's some more of my thoughts. I grew up when Kennedy was president. I remember him saying "ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country". The democratic party has become just the opposite which is why I no longer support the democrats. I don't support the republicans either. Neither party is worth a shit. I've noticed that a lot of people on these forums have too much time on their hands. They can search and find all the links to support their beliefs or they are so lazy they are using AI.to find things. I only have time to waste on here maybe once every week or two.

My question to everyone is what have you done in the last year to make the United States a better place, besides bitching about things not going the way you want, kinda like a baby.

In 2024 I worked 10 days at a food pantry filling bags of food. I shoveled snow for two elderly neighbors. A man who has to use a wheelchair to get around and a widow who was not strong enough to do it. And no I didn't get paid for it. I held a yard sale that raised almost $400 for the American Diabetes Association. I spent over $100 for Christmas gifts for children who might not get anything. I filled and paid shipping costs for 25 Operation Christmas Child boxes.

This year I giving money to help 3 children in Haiti to provide for schooling and 5 meals a week. Still working at a food pantry. Planning on 30 OCC boxes. Working with a Masonic group to have a large yard sale for ADA. Already helped the elderly man. The widow's grandson was visiting and he shoved the snow. I'm sure other things will come up where I can help someone.

I do all this in my spare time. I'm 73 years old and work a minimum of 40 hours a week. My income is less than $50,000 a year so I'm not rich. Jusy following JFK's ideals