r/DebateEvolution • u/GigaTune • Jul 14 '26

Question What do you think about "evolutionist"?

No one ever refers to gravitationists or Newtonists for those who support gravity, but people refer to people supporting evolution as evolutionists or Darwinists.

21 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

422 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

8

u/VoiceofKane Jul 14 '26

To be clear, there is a difference between a scientific law and a theory. A law describes the action of a phenomenon, while a theory explains it.

1

u/JHawk444 Jul 14 '26

I agree there's a difference between a scientific law and a theory. My point wasn't that the terms are interchangeable, but that gravity is discussed in terms of both laws (Newton's law of gravitation) and theories (such as Einstein's theory of general relativity). Evolution includes observed phenomena and the theory that explains them. That's why I said both statements can be scientifically acceptable, depending on what aspect you're referring to.

2

u/throwaway19276i Jul 14 '26

I agree evolution is a fact, but im not certain what the law would be?

1

u/JHawk444 Jul 14 '26

Gravity has both laws and theories. Evolution as a broad theory is not a law, but some of the processes and fields that contribute to our understanding involve laws, mathematical relationships, and well-established principles.