美国科学院观点：进化论是理论还是事实？英文原文+汉译

在美一方

Is Evolution a Theory or a Fact?

It is both. But that answer requires looking more deeply at the meanings of the words "theory" and "fact."

In everyday usage, "theory" often refers to a hunch or a speculation. When people say, "I have a theory about why that happened," they are often drawing a conclusion based on fragmentary or inconclusive evidence.

The formal scientific definition of theory is quite different from the everyday meaning of the word. It refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence.

Many scientific theories are so well-established that no new evidence is likely to alter them substantially. For example, no new evidence will demonstrate that the Earth does not orbit around the sun (heliocentric theory), or that living things are not made of cells (cell theory), that matter is not composed of atoms, or that the surface of the Earth is not divided into solid plates that have moved over geological timescales (the theory of plate tectonics). Like these other foundational scientific theories, the theory of evolution is supported by so many observations and confirming experiments that scientists are confident that the basic components of the theory will not be overturned by new evidence. However, like all scientific theories, the theory of evolution is subject to continuing refinement as new areas of science emerge or as new technologies enable observations and experiments that were not possible previously.

One of the most useful properties of scientific theories is that they can be used to make predictions about natural events or phenomena that have not yet been observed. For example, the theory of gravitation predicted the behavior of objects on the moon and other planets long before the activities of spacecraft and astronauts confirmed them. The evolutionary biologists who discovered Tiktaalik predicted that they would find fossils intermediate between fish and limbed terrestrial animals in sediments that were about 375 million years old. Their discovery confirmed the prediction made on the basis of evolutionary theory. In turn, confirmation of a prediction increases confidence in that theory.

In science, a "fact" typically refers to an observation, measurement, or other form of evidence that can be expected to occur the same way under similar circumstances. However, scientists also use the term "fact" to refer to a scientific explanation that has been tested and confirmed so many times that there is no longer a compelling reason to keep testing it or looking for additional examples. In that respect, the past and continuing occurrence of evolution is a scientific fact. Because the evidence supporting it is so strong, scientists no longer question whether biological evolution has occurred and is continuing to occur. Instead, they investigate the mechanisms of evolution, how rapidly evolution can take place, and related questions.

From Science, Evolution, and Creationism, National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. © 2008 National Academy of Sciences
http://www.nationalacademies.org/evolution/TheoryOrFact.html


以下汉语版本摘自“晓实”的译文
http://www.xys.org/xys/ebooks/others/science/misc/evolution5.txt

进化论是理论还是事实？

　　二者都是。但为了回答这个问题，我们需要更加深入地探讨一下“理论”和
“事实”的涵义。

　　在日常生活中，“理论”通常是指直觉或者猜测。当人们说，“我有个理论
来解释这到底是怎么回事儿，”他们通常从支离破碎或模棱两可的证据中做出结
论。

　　理论的科学定义和这个词在日常生活中的意思差别很大。它是指对于自然界
某一现象的全面解释，这种解释由大量的经验证据所支持。

　　许多科学的理论坚如磐石，不大可能被任何新的证据所撼动。比如说，不可
能会有新的证据证明地球不是围绕着太阳旋转（日心说），或者生物体不是由细
胞组成（细胞学说），物质不是由原子组成，或者地球表面不是被分割成在地质
年代里移动的固体板块（板块构造理论）等。就像这些犹如基石的科学理论一样，
进化论被无以数计的观察结果和实验数据所支持，所证实，科学家们坚信，新的
证据不可能推翻进化论的基本构想。然而，像所有的科学理论一样，随着新的科
学领域的出现，随着新技术使得以前不可能进行的观察和实验变为现实，进化论
也将不断地加以完善。

　　科学理论最重要的性质之一，就是它能够对还没有观察到的自然事件或现象
作出预测。比如，万有引力理论预测了物体在月球和其它行星上的表现，很久以
后，宇宙飞船和宇航员的实际活动证实了这一预测。发现“大淡水鱼”的进化生
物学家预测，在3亿7千5百万年古老的沉积岩中，有可能找到介于鱼类和有肢陆
地动物之间的动物化石。他们的发现证实了基于进化理论的预测。对于预测的证
实也反过来提高理论的可信度。

　　在科学中，“事实”通常是指观察、测量或其它形式的证据。重要的是，这
些证据应当能够在相似的条件下重复发生。科学家还用“事实”这个词来指经过
千锤百炼的科学解释，对于这些解释，已经没有任何必要的理由继续检验，或者
寻找新的实例加以反驳。就此而言，过去发生的和正在继续的进化就是科学事实。
由于支持进化论的证据如此强大，科学家们不再质疑进化是否发生过，或是否仍
然在继续之中。与此相反，他们积极开展进化机理的研究，弄清楚进化发生的速
率有多快，以及其它有关的问题。

乡下人进城

涉及到进化论，这个权威太小了，即使耶稣亲自从十字架上下来担任美国科学院的院长也抵不上剩经创世记的权威，要不然剩经就不圣了。

wbay

在美一方 发表于 2011-7-25 19:43
Is Evolution a Theory or a Fact?

It is both. But that answer requires looking more deeply at  ...

哈哈。 你能证明 美国科学院从来没有出错过吗？  

当年那么多人，那么多 权威都 相信 ‘地心学‘  ， 后来还不都给我乖乖的改过来。

乡下人进城

wbay 发表于 2011-8-1 22:47
哈哈。 你能证明 美国科学院从来没有出错过吗？  

当年那么多人，那么多 权威都 相信 ‘地心学‘  ，  ...

您的圣经上讲的是什么心说呢？

当然了，您的圣经错误百出而且还能永远不改，对您来说是最权威的。

也和话

回复 wbay 的帖子

读读历史就知道了，《圣经》根本没有地心说。

地心说是古人的观点，后来阿里士多德、托勒密把地心说系统化，基督教从古希腊不仅偷了无限、地狱这些概念（详细的可看《耶和华的进化》），基督教还偷了地心说的理论。以后的十几个世纪，以暴力的方法逼人们相信地心说。

日心说不是哥白尼的原创。早在四世纪，Hypatia 希帕提婭就差点证明了日心说，她也提出了行星轨道不一定是圆形的，而是更广义的圆锥曲线。可惜，这么一位天才美女被基督暴徒残酷的用砖瓦把她分尸了。

也和话

回复 wbay 的帖子

进化论不一定对，但是，根据现在所有的证据，还没有一个理论比进化论更好的解译这些证据。

不过，神创论或者是智设论肯定错。

不用进化论，解释一下灵长类维他命 C 这个 pseudogene 吧。