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"string theory lied to us and now science communication is hard" (www.youtube.com)

submitted 1 year ago by interolivary@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org

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Dr. Angela Collier plays the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and talks at length about what went wrong with string theory, and how that affected science communication.

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[-] On@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago

"Science communication is hard so I'm going to play a game while explaining science, cuz that's not distracting at all."

It just wasn't for me and I lost interest after a few minutes

I always had doubts about scientific theories on atomic particles and space but they were theory for a reason. Theory is what the word means, it is based on many assumptions. Like the big bang is a theory, It leads scientist to explore it from multiple angles through validation and verification (because science is hard). They are never put out as a fact. So I don't even know what point she's trying to make.

[-] zalack@kbin.social 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Theory in science generally means something much more stringent than it does in vernacular. From Wikipedia:

A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that can be (or a fortiori, that has been) repeatedly tested and corroborated in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluation of results. Where possible, theories are tested under controlled conditions in an experiment.[1][2] In circumstances not amenable to experimental testing, theories are evaluated through principles of abductive reasoning. Established scientific theories have withstood rigorous scrutiny and embody scientific knowledge.

A scientific theory differs from a scientific fact or scientific law in that a theory explains "why" or "how": a fact is a simple, basic observation, whereas a law is a statement (often a mathematical equation) about a relationship between facts and/or other laws.

So when something is being put forward as "A Scientific Theory" it is meant to be taken as the best possible explanation we can make of why the universe is the way it is, backed by exhaustive tests using the best methods currently available to us.

In science, when something is just a theory in the way you mean, it's called a hypothesis.

[-] qjkxbmwvz@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago

In grad school I audited a few classes of "The Physics of Evolution," and there was one quote from the professor that stuck with me. It was, loosely, "Some people claim evolution is 'only a theory,' but they have it backwards

evolution is a fact, but it's a lousy theory!"

[-] bmaxv@noc.social 21 points 1 year ago

@On @interolivary the point she was making was that her job is harder because some people are actively dishonest and that creates distrust towards her entire profession, not just the individuals.

Big focus on the how it happened for this case of string theory.