Quote:
|
If we start calling our "theories" facts it gets rid of this confusion for the laymen.
|
Maybe, but it would be intellectually dishonest.
I wouldn't expect computer programmers to change the != operator just because it confuses laypeople (see earlier in this thread), so why should scientists be expected to start using the word "fact" when what they really mean is "theory"? A better course of action would be to educate the layperson about the scientific definition of the word theory and point out the fallaciousness of their arguments when they try to dismiss the relative certainty of evolution by describing it as "just a theory, not fact".