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t1_j23tbqq wrote

Gotcha, I understood “law” as a theory that is repeatable and testable. Maybe I was taught wrong, but something is a theory, no matter the amount of theoretical evidence, until it can be proven law (and this proof is more along the lines of the scientific method. Mathematical evidence, for example, cannot establish something as law).

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t1_j24ocqr wrote

Ah don't worry, yeah you were probably taught wrong but in a scientific context a repeatable and testable educated guess is called a hypothesis which on recieving further evidence becomes a theory which will be our new understanding of it but the caveat is that you can never be 100% sure and scientists have the humility to say that they too can be wrong and call it a theory. However that doesn't discredit their work as some phenomenon stated as fact today are still theories. For example gravity, plate tectonics, thermodynamics, evolution, genetics, etc. The laws are like the important points of a theory as to what happens.

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t1_j24tbb8 wrote

Gotcha. I knew theories were solid, but definitely misunderstood the role of law. Thank you!

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