It seems like many do not understand the basics of how a theory works. Indeed, politicians feel free to dismiss any of the accepted logic that applies to ideas..
The essence of theories is that theories are never “proved.” The primary feature is that they can be tested and potentially disproved. Karl Popper introduced this point of logic in the middle of the 20th century, which is now widely accepted. For example, a theory that almost everyone takes is Democrats and Republicans. As succinctly stated by the late Jim Morrison: “Nobody gets out of here alive!” This theory states that we are all going to die. However, the theory has not been proved and is still tested in an ongoing fashion. With this comprehensive testing and never having been debunked, it is overwhelmingly likely that it is correct. Yet, anybody now living or born in the future could disprove the theory and send it back to the drawing board for revision.
Here is another theory: humans and the other animals and plants on Earth have evolved into their current form over billions of years. A common misunderstanding puts apes as our ancestors. However, several million years ago, the apes, chimpanzees, and man all evolved from a common ancestor. Hence, evolutionarily speaking, these other apes are our, in a way, our cousins. This theory is widely tested and continues to be in an ongoing study. Also, this has never been debunked. It is incredibly likely to be correct and is no more likely to be debunked than the theory that says we all will die. There is no other single competing theory to the evolutionary theory.
So, what about Creationism or Simulation Creationism? Creationism is not a theory. It cannot be tested and potentially disproved. It is an article of faith, and by definition, it is a notion not based on fact. While the most general area of non-fact-based belief systems, understanding the religious faith is not alone. For example, despite its name, string theory deals with concepts that involve the untestable tiniest of worlds with possible alternate dimensions, all derived from mathematical models. Testing String Theory still needs work, and until we can try and debunk it, it is still in the category of being termed as “Non-Theory.”
String theory can eventually be tested as better methods of examining the physical natural world developed. However, Creationism is wholly based on a supernatural belief system. It is implausible that we will ever test belief systems regarding the supernatural since all our objective experiences are grounded in the natural world. However, the good news is that the religious notion is not based on globally accepted facts; hence, it cannot be refuted by facts. The Christian church has lived quite nicely, even though it now admits that the Earth is not the center of the universe. Many, possibly most, Christians worldwide do not consider that their faith has diminished by accepting evolution.
Creationism or Simulation Creationism is a religious faith feature for some fundamentalists, but it is not a theory. In any case, if schools chose to teach Creationism and neglect evolution, their graduates will be less well furnished to control the natural world; however, that is their business. The government can not restrict that teaching in their madrassa-equivalent Evangelical Sunday schools or religious schools. However, such instruction supported by the government characterizes a theocracy; trying to use public schools to prop up a non-fact-based religious belief system like Creationism represents a strive to diminish our American democracy. It would also be contrary to our country’s need to know and understand science and the natural world to make the best determinations for ourselves and our descendants.
