The Six Most Misused Words in Science

[TZ]

I haven't post here in a while but THIS article should be pinned to the top of this forum so people understand what its about...



All sorts of phrases and words have a different meaning in science than they do in the general public. Some scientists argue that the misunderstood terms should simply be replaced, but that just prolongs the problem. If “theory” is replaced with some other word, then it’s almost inevitable that word will also be misused every now and again. Instead, a better science education is in order to teach the majority of the population to understand the terms scientists use to define our reality. So, without further adieu…
) Theory

theory
Theory is probably one of the most abused scientific terms out there. The phrase “that’s just a theory” is a common attack on scientific theories by people who don’t understand the term. How many times have you heard anti-evolutionists use the phrase “well, evolution is just a theory. Get back to me when it’s a law.”
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-six-most-misused-words-in-science/

[Archae]

1. Thewy left out a term.

One that is constantly mis-used.

"Missing link."

Evolution is not a chain with "missing" links.
It's a branching process.

[arcane1]

2. Thank you for this!!

[TZ]

3. You are welcome

As soon as I saw that skeptic was one of the listed terms knew it had to go here.

[mr blur]

4. Excellent!

Thanks TZ

[LeftishBrit]

5. Great article!

[TxDemChem]

6. I'd like to add quantum.

It's not necessarily used often in everyday life, but all that woo crap about your body's quantum energy and chakras kills me. Thanks to Deepak Chopra, I've heard that term a lot this year.