A Related Chart from Hari Titan (hstitan@yahoo.com)

The Scientific Method

Step 1. Extract from statement(s): Step 2. Categorize Step 3. Investigate Special Terms
Facts
(There are observers and they all agree)
Testimony Multiple independent witnesses? Unbiased? Confirmed; Unopposed; Stipulated; Hearsay
Physical Evidence Persistent / Temporary states Direct; Circumstantial
Theory / Speculation
(A disputed explanation or characterization; guesswork)
Theory is Testable / Falsifiable
(i.e. Conjecture)
Does the explanation fit some, most or all the evidence; Is the explanation clear & convincing? Is the test repeatable and/or controllable? Evidence-based; Educated guess; Faith-based; Wild Speculation
Prosecution
(Re: Past)
The explanation fits most of the facts; Attributes are falsifiable but not the theory itself. Plausible; Just Cause; Proof; Benefit of Doubt
Idle Speculation Not falsifiable and not prosecutable. Alternate Universe
Pretense
(Passing off a theory as fact)
Misrepresentation or Make-believe or Fixed Belief Statement known to be a theory by speaker? Listener knows to be false? Exaggerate; Delusion
Ambiguity Unlimited / Handful of meanings Intentionally vague? Speaker open to clarification? Rhetoric

Related Articles:

The Limits of Science

What is Revelation From God?

Science in a Broken Universe

Physics Problems for Creation Week

The Uniqueness of Creation Week


Lambert Dolphin
lambert@ldolphin.org
Library
May 1992.