The statement below is why we still have a general public that doesn't accept evolution as fact, or global climate change, or, that invasive species harm ecosystems. Certainly what the author says is technically correct, but in reality what is the difference between a probability of occurrence of 98% and "proven". There is no functional difference and this is not just semantics. After all if evolution can never be proven then why should it be in text books, and why should creationism (which also can never be proven) be left out? I don't want to start a hailstorm here, but I think that it is an important point to distinguish between what essentially is a philosophical question and educating students so that they will be able to realistically communicate science to the public and make biologically-based decisions in the real world. Certainly, I also teach the Popperian falsificationist paradigm, but I also tell my students to use common decision rules (e.g., if something has a probability of occurrence that is 80% in real life, wouldn't you behave as if it was going to occur) when describing scientific phenomenon to the public. Barry Noon wrote a paper about this many years ago, it basically was "Why biologists don't do well in court".
On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 5:41 AM, > Food for thought (hope it's not too simplified for this listserv): > > I was taught, and I teach my students, that biologists, ecologists > included, DO NOT work within the realm of PROOFS (as mathematicians do). > Rather we work within the realm of PROBABILITIES. I do not allow my > students to use the word "prove" either orally or in written format. Even > the most well accepted Theories (with a capital T), such as the Theory of > Evolution by Natural Selection, the Germ Theory, and Cell Theory, are > constantly being revised, modified, and updated as we trudge forward toward > a better understanding of biology. > > -- Gary D. Grossman, PhD Professor of Animal Ecology Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA 30602 Research & teaching web site - http://www.arches.uga.edu/~grossman<http://www.arches.uga.edu/%7Egrossman> Board of Editors - Animal Biodiversity and Conservation Editorial Board - Freshwater Biology Editorial Board - Ecology Freshwater Fish Sculpture by Gary D. Grossman www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=2002317&id=1348406658<http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#%21/album.php?aid=2002317&id=1348406658> Hutson Gallery Provincetown, MA - www.hutsongallery.net/artists.html Atelier 24 Lexington, Asheville NC - www.atelier24lexington.com<http://www.atelier24lexington.com/default.html> Lyndon House Art Center, Athens, GA - www.accleisureservices.com/lyndon.shtml
