It's Only a Theory

 "It's only a theory..."

That's like saying "It's only the Hope Diamond"

A theory in science is the gold standard of knowledge. Those best ideas that have stood the test of thousands of skeptical scientists. Those ideas that actually work. Those ideas we can use. The theory of gravity. The theory of evolution by natural selection. The theory of electromagnetism. The theory of climate change. 

When you have an idea that might explain something, we put it on the queue for testing. That idea is called an hypothesis. Once that idea has gone through extreme scrutiny, repeated testing, and still comes out as the best explanation for something, that idea is elevated to a theory. That's the value of consensus in science. Not that we voted for the best ideas. But that, try as hard as we may, those ideas can't be shot down. They remain the best explanation.

Here is a recent NPR story from May 28, 2021 on President Biden ordering an investigation into the coronavirus origins. The reporter, John Ruwitch, mentions the hypothesis that the virus may have originated in a Chinese lab. 

YES, thank you John! It's a hypothesis, not a theory! Later the reporter slipped and called it a theory, but I won't mention that...

Why is it important to distinguish between hypothesis and theory? Because in the public discourse, when we say something is a theory, we dismiss it as being speculative. Nothing could be further from the truth.  The theory of gravitation is a rock-solid, time-tested, actionable idea that we can count on to explain the world we live in, and importantly, to predict the future. Same with the theory of evolution by natural selection. And yes, the theory of human-caused climate change. 

In the age of alternative facts and willful ignorance, it is essential that at least we all speak the same language when it comes to those best ideas that define our place in the world and with each other.