DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEORY AND LAW

Scientific laws and theories have different jobs to do. A scientific law predicts the
results of certain initial conditions. It might predict your unborn child’s possible
hair colors, or how far a baseball travels when launched at a certain angle.

In contrast, a theory tries to provide the most logical explanation about why
things happen as they do. A theory might invoke dominant and recessive genes
to explain how brown-haired parents ended up with a red-headed child, or use
gravity to shed light on the parabolic trajectory of a baseball.

In simplest terms, a law predicts what happens while a theory proposes why. A
theory will never grow up into a law, though the development of one often
triggers progress on the other.

We weren’t handed a universal instruction manual. Instead, we continually

propose, challenge, revise, or even replace our scientific ideas as a work in
progress. Laws usually resist change since they wouldn’t have been adopted if
they didn’t fit the data, though we occasionally revise laws in the face of new
unexpected information. A theory’s acceptance, however, is often gladiatorial.
Multiple theories may compete to supply the best explanation of a new scientific
discovery. Upon further research, scientists tend to favor the theory that can
explain most of the data, though there may still be gaps in our understanding.

Even incorrect theories have their value. Discredited alchemy was the birthplace
of modern chemistry, and medicine made great strides long before
we understood the roles of bacteria and viruses. That said, better theories often
lead to exciting new discoveries that were unimaginable under the old way of
thinking. Nor should we assume all of our current scientific theories will stand the
test of time. A single unexpected result is enough to challenge the status quo.
However, vulnerability to some potentially better explanation doesn’t weaken a
current scientific theory. Instead, it shields science from becoming unchallenged
dogma.

A good scientific law is a finely-tuned machine, accomplishing its task brilliantly

but ignorant of why it works as well as it does. A good scientific theory is a
bruised, but unbowed, fighter who risks defeat if unable to overpower or adapt to
the next challenger. Though different, science needs both laws and theories to
understand the whole picture. So the next time someone comments that it’s just
a theory, challenge them to go nine rounds with the champ and see if they can
do any better.