1 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Which side shoulders the burden of proof?
For instance, if we’re talking about an uncontroversial scientific fact like the germ theory of disease, it would be the burden of the skeptic to prove his alternate hypothesis.
I think that is a bit of a problem because scientism seems to have a voice in "settled" science. Yes I concur that "germ theory of disease" is settled, but people talk about the big bang as it if it settled. Calling it a theory is an insult to a critical thinker
Comment by Powerful-Garage6316 at 03/09/2024 at 16:53 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I mean they don’t just arbitrarily call something a theory. A lot of criteria need to be met, and the theory needs to be extremely fleshed out with experimental results, peer review, the ability to make novel predictions, etc.
And even so, a theory is not taken to be “true” in science. It’s still open to being overturned. But when something has been so well substantiated by decades of consistent results, then it’s the job of the person with the alternate hypothesis to provide some data.