+quot;The honest scientist, like the philosopher, will tell you that nothing whatever can
"The honest scientist, like the philosopher, will tell you that
nothing whatever can be or has been proved with fully 100%
certainty, not even that you or I exist, nor anyone except himself,
since he might be dreaming the whole thing. Thus there is no sharp
line between speculation, hypothesis, theory, principle, and fact,
but only a difference along a sliding scale, in the degree of
probability of the idea. When we say a thing is a fact, then, we
only mean that its probability is an extremely high one: so high
that we are not bothered by doubt about it and are ready to act
accordingly. Now in this use of the term fact, the only proper one,
evolution is a fact. For the evidence in favor of it is as voluminous,
diverse, and convincing as in the case of any other well established
fact of science concerning the existence of things that cannot be
directly seen, such as atoms, neutrons, or solar gravitation ....
So enormous, ramifying, and consistant has the evidence for
evolution become that if anyone could now disprove it, I should
have my conception of the orderliness of the universe so shaken
as to lead me to doubt even my own existence. If you like, then,
I will grant you that in an absolute sense evolution is not a fact,
or rather, that it is no more a fact than that you are hearing or
reading these words."
H. J. Muller, "One Hundred Years Without Darwin Are Enough"
School Science and Mathematics 59, 304-305. (1959) reprinted
in EVOLUTION VERSUS CREATIONISM op cit.
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank