Science Memes

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I definitely never unsubscribed from a YouTube channel just for that... (files.catbox.moe)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] 2pt_perversion 30 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

Descriptive linguists unite! Words evolve and that's okay. Really science should pivot away and start calling more proven theories a different word if they're upset about the confusion.

The etymology of the word theory comes from a word with a meaning closer to "to look at or speculate" so even in that sense science kind of hijacked a word that was further from the modern scientific understanding of the word "theory" and descriptively transformed it themselves for use in their community. And that's okay too.

[–] tehmics 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I've ranted about this so much to people close to me. Scientific community just needs to adopt a new word like you say, theory is a lost battle

[–] Reddfugee42 1 points 4 months ago

Would courses like Music Theory also need to get a new name?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I accept it in colloquial discourse. I'm not happy about it, and I will smartass at everyone who isn't asking, but I accept that I'm probably fighting a losing battle. But in science, it's absolutely non-negotiable for words to mean what they mean, and not their own opposite.

[–] 2pt_perversion 6 points 4 months ago

Tell that to conventional current vs electron flow. Science is ever updating with new information and the words we use to describe it will change over time as well, but I get what you mean. Prescriptive linguistics especially in formal settings like scientific writing is helpful for clear communication.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Various fields have to adapt their terms all the time. For example, "idiot", "moron", and "mental retardation" were all official medical terms. Then they got used as an insult by the population at large, and got so bad that the medical field had to abandon them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

Medical terms being used as an insult is a very specific (and problematic) case. And they also weren't turned into their own opposite. They were equalized with stupidity.