The Nature of Proof

August 7th, 2006 Central Archivist Posted in Commentary |

WE VETERANS OF THE CREVO WARS often hear creationists triumphantly crow, “evolution is just a theory; it’s never been proved!”  Well, it’s true evolution has never been proved — indeed, nothing in science is ever proved.  Proof is something that can only be found in the realms of mathematics.  And, even then, proof might equal “True” but it doesn’t necessarily equal “Correct.”

For instance, take the following proof:

A cashew is a nut.
All nuts are purple.
Cashews are purple.

The above statement is “True.”  The conclusion follows from the premises, so therefore we have proved cashews are purple.  However, our proof does not match up to the real world (cashews are kind of a beige color).

Just something to consider next time a creationist demands “proof.”