General / Off-Topic Religion or science poll, just out of curiosity.

[Mysturji]

Matter can be destroyed?

It can be converted into energy, which dissipates.

 

[Mysturji]

Once you prove that they exist then they lose their majesty and awe.

... As opposed to science, which increases majesty and awe with every new discovery?

 

[Mysturji]

May I please try to clear up a common misunderstanding of the word "theory" (in its scientific context) that seems to be inexorably confusing this thread?

A theory is a hypothesis with supporting evidence.
In science, a theory cannot be proved, it can only 1. accumulate more supporting evidence 2. be modified to take new evidence into account, or 3. be DISproven.
Or to put it another way:

“I am using the word theory as a scientist means it: a set of ideas so well established by observations and physical models that it is essentially indistinguishable from fact. That is different from the colloquial use that means "guess." To a scientist, you can bet your life on a theory. Remember, gravity is "just a theory" too.”
― Philip Plait, Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End...

There's another quote about theories, I'll have to search for it when I get home.

kthxbai

 

[Arry]

May I please try to clear up a common misunderstanding of the word "theory" (in its scientific context) that seems to be inexorably confusing this thread?

A theory is a hypothesis with supporting evidence.
In science, a theory cannot be proved, it can only 1. accumulate more supporting evidence 2. be modified to take new evidence into account, or 3. be DISproven.
Or to put it another way:

“I am using the word theory as a scientist means it: a set of ideas so well established by observations and physical models that it is essentially indistinguishable from fact. That is different from the colloquial use that means "guess." To a scientist, you can bet your life on a theory. Remember, gravity is "just a theory" too.”
― Philip Plait, Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End...

There's another quote about theories, I'll have to search for it when I get home.

kthxbai

How about concept? Or, idea?

As a child, I had issues asking questions. Afraid of ridicule etc. One of the 1st books I owned, was a dictionary. So if I was not sure what a word meant, I could refer to my favourite book. Now born from a catholic mother with protestant father and a Jewish step-father, religion was not discussed. Now remember I was young; so when faced with the subject of the virgin birth of Christ and the words; immaculate conception, I was unsure of what they meant. So I looked up these words in my dictionary and for years, believed, that immaculate conception, literally meant: Good Idea.

 

[Mysturji]

How about concept? Or, idea?

As a child, I had issues asking questions. Afraid of ridicule etc. One of the 1st books I owned, was a dictionary. So if I was not sure what a word meant, I could refer to my favourite book. Now born from a catholic mother with protestant father and a Jewish step-father, religion was not discussed. Now remember I was young; so when faced with the subject of the virgin birth of Christ and the words; immaculate conception, I was unsure of what they meant. So I looked up these words in my dictionary and for years, believed, that immaculate conception, literally meant: Good Idea.

A theory starts with an idea or concept (hypothesis).
I found that quote (I don't know who said it, but I agree):

A theory in science explains facts: A theory is really one of the pinnacles of science – what nearly everyone strives to make out of their hypotheses. A hypothesis is elevated to a theory when it has withstood all attempts to falsify it. Experiment after experiment has shown it sufficient to explain all observations that it encompasses. In other words, a “theory” has never been shown to be false, despite – usually – hundreds if not thousands of separate attempts to break it. It explains the observations with one or more mechanisms and, because it provides that mechanism, it is considered to be above the level of a Law. Examples these days are the Theory of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, the Germ Theory of Disease, and yes, the Theory of Evolution.

 

[Mysturji]

This is not stupid. The dragons and other creatures, perhaps, exists on the other planets in the other galaxies ... And as these planets are inaccessible, I cannot prove that they do not exist. Yourself do not can say what there is after the death

... But which seems more likely?

Occam's Razor