re: #235 AJStrata

Look, in science there are theories and there are established facts. Gravity is an established fact. How the Moon was created is all theory (many conflicting ones). As we get more data or more studies are done the origin of the Moon concept changes. Same here with global climate. There are conflicting indicators - it is not settled. Another example would be the evolution of humanity. The recent Ardi discovery through the entire established science out the window!

Your analogous examples argue against your point. Theories of lunar origin are not constantly changing. In recent decades the debate has largely coalesced around giant impact origins. It is the hypothesis with the most supporting evidence. There are still reasonable arguments for others and active research, but there is a single most likely theory at this point. As we get more data, the explanation of lunar origin becomes refined. It hasn’t been redefined since the introduction of the giant impact theory.

With Ardi, certain aspects or paths of human descent are certainly going to be rethought. But the basics of human evolution are not put in question by the discovery. This is again a refining and not a redefinition.

Lunar origins, and human evolution are not beyond redefinition, if some big discovery were to come along, but even Ardi in the latter case is not on that level.

As for climate science, and the warming record in particular, as has been demonstrated amply by LVQ, physics and chemistry are giving us the rules here. We can and do refine the observations and interpretations, but there is no redefinition in the offing here, either.

So you need to know when you are in the midst of theoretical discovery and debate versus dealing with scientific fact.

I see the creationists and the GW alarmists as different camps of the same kind of ignorance and zealotry. They want to believe so badly they refuse to face the contrary evidence and studies. A real scientist does not fall into this trap. They go where the data and evidence leads them.