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A scientific theory differs from a scientific fact or scientific law in that a theory seeks to explain "why" or "how", whereas a fact is a simple, basic observation and a law is an empirical description of a relationship between facts and/or other laws.
In science, however, the meaning of theory is more rigorous. A scientific theory is "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses."
Scientific theory. A theory is a well-substantiated and comprehensive explanation of the reasons an observed fact takes place that way and not in another way. They may be used to make predictions, but they are not predictions themselves. It is quite a big deal for something to be accepted as a scientific theory.
While theory in colloquial usage may denote a hunch or conjecture, a scientific theory is a set of principles that explains an observable phenomenon in natural terms. [127] [128] "Scientific fact and theory are not categorically separable", [129] and evolution is a theory in the same sense as germ theory or the theory of gravitation. [130]
In the most basic sense, a scientific fact is an objective and verifiable observation, in contrast with a hypothesis or theory, which is intended to explain or interpret facts. [20] Various scholars have offered significant refinements to this basic formulation.
A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world.
Philosophers, such as Karl R. Popper, have provided influential theories of the scientific method within which scientific evidence plays a central role. [8] In summary, Popper provides that a scientist creatively develops a theory that may be falsified by testing the theory against evidence or known facts.
Science distinguishes a law or theory from facts. [4] Calling a law a fact is ambiguous , an overstatement , or an equivocation . [ 5 ] The nature of scientific laws has been much discussed in philosophy , but in essence scientific laws are simply empirical conclusions reached by scientific method; they are intended to be neither laden with ...