Science Fundamentals – What is a "Fact?"
Knowing the Definition of a Fact is Crucial to Understanding Science
The first edition of The American Heritage Dictionary defines a fact as "1. Something known with certainty. 2. Something asserted as certain. 3. Something that has been objectively verified. 4. Something having real, demonstrable existence." The 3rd and 4th definitions are what scientists mean by "facts."
Here is a statement of fact, in the scientific sense:
- Under normal circumstances, if a piano is dropped from a height, it will fall.
This is true no matter how many times the piano is dropped and no matter how many different people drop it. They can all agree that the piano will fall, even if they don't personally drop it, or even see it drop. In other words, they have "objectively verified" that the piano will drop. The piano itself is a tangible, measurable object, which means it has "real, demonstrable existence."
Difference Between Fact and Belief
There are some things people may call "facts" that do not meet the 3rd and 4th definitions given above. That doesn't mean they aren't true; it just means they aren't what science defines as "facts." For example, some people consider the following statement to be a fact:
- The earth was created in one week's time by a supernatural being called "God."
Unlike the falling piano, scientists cannot repeat this event to see if the earth can be created in one week; in other words, they cannot objectively verify that such a thing is possible. Unlike the piano, scientists cannot detect or measure God to see if God has the same kind of "real, demonstrable existence" that a piano does. To science, the statement above represents a "belief," something one chooses to think is true or false, and is not a statement of fact.
Science Is Limited and Fiction May Become Fact
For practical reasons, science is purposely limited to studying and drawing conclusions about only what it can detect, measure or test. Controversy arises when people stray outside the limitations of science and attempt to apply scientific reasoning to draw conclusions about things that science cannot detect, measure or test. In addition, since the ability of science to detect and measure is always expanding, as the tools it uses become more sophisticated, what science now considers fiction may later become fact.
People Rely on Scientific Facts Every Day
Every day, people make many decisions that rely on an accurate perception of what the facts are, in the scientific sense of the word. Just crossing the road without getting run over by a car relies on a clear understanding of what the facts are, in the scientific sense. Weights, measurements and the properties of wood are all facts that a contractor must know to build a house. Contractors cannot choose to believe that the specifications for building a house are different from what the facts say they are, otherwise the house will at best be unsafe to live in, even if it can be built at all.
Facts Can Verify a Hypothesis
Science seeks to draw conclusions based on facts. It is like looking for clues to solve a murder. If there are enough facts to support a case, the truth may be uncovered and the case can be solved. The same is true in science. Over time, when many facts are pieced together, a case can be made to support a "hypothesis," which is a statement that scientists make and then test to see if it is accurate; for example:
- Certain lifestyle choices can decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease
- It is possible to build a machine that can fly
As with the falling piano, if the tests that scientists conduct yield the same results over and over, and these results support the hypothesis, then the statement itself has been "objectively verified," and is considered correct, until new factual evidence proves it to be false.
Expert Consensus Builds Scientific Knowledge
Science relies on the consensus of the community of people who have the knowledge and skill to formulate hypotheses, test them and accurately interpret the results, to determine whether or not a hypothesis may be accepted as correct.
By strict adherence to the rigid definition of a fact as something that is tangible, that can be measured or tested, science seeks to advance knowledge in practical ways that people can rely on.
Further Reading
- Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact by Ludwick Fleck
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn
Understanding Facts Helps People Soar Above Them
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