Beliefs About Evolution [View All]

We're studying the scientific method (among other things) in my Biology 101 class right now. My professor (who is awesome) has made it a point to say numerous times that a "theory" in biology is akin to a "law" in physics. Nothing is ever 100% proven because there is no way for any human being to test every possible alternative explanation in the universe. However, a "Theory" is generally an assortment of related hypotheses that have been extensively studied, tested over and over again to the best of our ability, and generally accepted as the closest thing to an absolute truth that we can have.

A good example is Cell Theory. The basic premise of Cell Theory is that all living things are made of cells--either one cell, or more than one. Although it is not possible to examine literally EVERY individual living thing on the face of the planet that has ever existed, we have examined enough to be pretty sure that there isn't anything truly alive on Earth that doesn't have a cellular structure--either prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Even though we can't say that this has been "proven," Cell Theory is still accepted as a fact for all practical and research purposes.

The same applies to the Evolutionary Theory. My professor has impressed me greatly with her insistence on hammering home the idea that a "Theory" in science means something entirely different than it does in regular English. She does this because she's going to teach us about evolution, and she's trying to head off some of the more asinine objections that I'm sure she deals with every semester.

I usually take for granted that other lefties are solidly in the pro-evolution camp, but lately I've heard a few comments that have made me wonder. So...what are your beliefs about evolution?