• EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    10 months ago

    Not to be THAT user, but…

    Hypotheses, not theories. Unless your idea has been experimentally duplicated & verified by a good (if not great) number of your peers, it is not a theory.

    Again, I’m not trying to be an asshole, but it’s important to remember in science the distinction between the scientific meaning of the word as opposed to the widespread colloquial meaning of it.

    • cabbage@piefed.social
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      10 months ago

      Sorry for not committing to scientific standards in my pioneering research into why OP would ask such a question!

      Imagine you’re coming back home with your partner one day. You see your new pair of shoes all chewed up. In the corner of the room you see your dog, looking guilty as hell. Your partner might ask you “what happened to your shoes”. You might respond “I don’t know, but I have a theory”. To which your partner might respond “well actually, that’s not a theory, that’s a hypothesis, you idiot”.

      • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        10 months ago

        Woah, woah. Okay, two things:

        1. Take a deep breath. I never called you an idiot or called you stupid or attacked your person. I actively tried to be polite about it; you don’t have to be a dick in return.

        2. I thought you were OP. I mis-saw. That was my bad.

        • cabbage@piefed.social
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          10 months ago

          Sorry, didn’t mean to come across as an asshole - just meant to emphasize that the word “theory” could also be used as a figure of speech.

          I realize it maybe wasn’t clear enough from my post that I didn’t try to make any actual scientific hypothesis or anything - I merely found it entertaining to figure out why anyone would think climate change could alter the speed of time. It just seemed like such an absurd starting point that I found it enjoyable to try to make sense of it.

          But again, no hard feelings - communicating online can be tricky. Sorry about that!

          • EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            10 months ago

            Sorry, didn’t mean to come across as an asshole - just meant to emphasize that the word “theory” could also be used as a figure of speech.

            I apologize if I also came across as a dick. I know you meant the informal usage. I don’t know where in the world you’re from (nor is it my business really), but I’m from America, and here we have a big problem with science ignorance which has led to anti-science being a very common thing. Small things like the difference between “theory” and “hypothesis”, though mostly inconsequential on their own, are symptomatic I feel of this larger problem. That’s why we get ignorant morons here that deny evolution and claim “It’s just a theory” as if that’s a valid rebuke.

            I merely found it entertaining to figure out why anyone would think climate change could alter the speed of time. It just seemed like such an absurd starting point that I found it enjoyable to try to make sense of it.

            And I get that. I totally find that enjoyable as well. Like reading about some of the ways someone could claim the Earth is flat and try to scientifically justify it. Totally bullshit, but it’s fascinating.

            Like I said, perhaps I came across as way more vicious than I intended. If so, I sincerely apologize. Like you said, tone is difficult to convey over text and clearly I have failed at that.