Some people try to attack things like evolution by natural selection and man-made climate change by saying “Oh, that’s just a THEORY!”
Yes, they are both theories. Stop saying it like it’s a bad thing! It’s time we learn the difference between a fact, a theory, a hypothesis, and a scientific law.
The definition of theory :
a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.
“Darwin’s theory of evolution”
synonyms: hypothesis, thesis, conjecture, supposition, speculation, postulation, postulate, proposition, premise, surmise, assumption, presupposition; More
a set of principles on which the practice of an activity is based.
“a theory of education”
an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action.
“my theory would be that the place has been seriously mismanaged”
Definition of hypothesis:
a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.
“professional astronomers attacked him for popularizing an unconfirmed hypothesis”
synonyms: theory, theorem, thesis, conjecture, supposition, postulation, postulate, proposition, premise, assumption; More
PHILOSOPHY
a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth.