So 30% of Republicans (running for President) don't believe in evolution.
To that I say,
I can pick things up with my toes, like a monkey.
the "just a theory" argument really steams me. It's not that evolution isn't a theory. I won't be so sure of myself to declare it as fact.
It's not. It is "just" a theory.
But theory is not a bad thing. When idiots, like creationists, say something is "just a theory", they use the word to mean "wild conjecture, which I have pulled out of my and/or your ass".
See, when scientists use the word? They're talking about the idea accepted by all mainstream -- more on that word in a moment -- or almost all mainstream scientists as the best explanation we have.
Theory can, does, and should change as more evidence is presented. The moment a scientist refuses to change a theory to fit new facts is the moment the scientist loses all credibility.
What's a "mainstream" scientist? Unlike a journalist, a mainstream scientist is a member of a groupthinking individuals that realizes he or she is engaging in groupthink. I may be oversimplifying. Sue me.
I was told today that evolution is "Just a theory," in a tone of finality. I did not bother to explain the meaning, as scientists use it, of the word theory. I didn't bother to explain what a scientist was. Instead, I said,
Do you believe in gravity? Did you get a flu shot this year? Ever ridden in a car? Do you have a digital watch? How about a cell phone? Ever been to a mall? Do you listen to the weatherman in the morning?
I got the answer to all of those questions:
Yes.
I shook my head for a moment. I said,
You know, those are all supported by "just" theories too. Will you work to disprove all of them as well?
And then the person I was talking to went away.