quote:

---

Originally written by Andraste:

A proper set of feats makes a Druid 10/Shifter 30 unstoppable.

---

quote:

---

However, this statement is one that is worth talking about, because it's based on a common mis-conception. When scientists talk about a "theory," they don't mean a theory as the term is casually used (as essentially synonymous with the word "idea": "I've got a theory that the reason that socks disappear in the dryer is that there are little gnomes that steal them"). A "theory" in science is not a fact; it's far more than a fact, and it should be respected as such.

A fact is a single data point: when I did this, that happened. A fact can be dismissed as a fluke. A theory says, "Whenever I do this, that happens." A theory is based on a wealth of experimental evidence, not just a single fact, and the use of the term "theory" does not imply that the idea is purely hypothetical and not demonstrated; it implies that it is so incredibly well-demonstrated that it has moved beyond disbelief.

For example, Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity is "just a theory," but it has been confirmed by experiment over and over again. There are still arguments in the details — how it interacts with quantum mechanics can sometimes be problematic — but the overall picture is undoubtedly correct. To rewrite relativity would require ignoring virtually all of twentieth-century physics.

The Theory of Evolution is on comparable standing. It has been corroborated by data from all sorts of areas, and it is so well confirmed that to try to undo it would require deleting virtually all the evidence in twentieth-century biology. There are still some arguments in the details, but the overall picture must be true. Evolution is not a fact at all; it is a theory, so it cannot be easily dismissed.

---

quote:

---

"Yeah, ice spells are much better," Zephyr Tempest said.

---

quote:

---

Originally written by The Dikiyora:

Zephyr Tempest is just accident-prone. :P

---