From Atoms to Humans

Truth about how nature works that cannot be falsified by observations of the physical world.

Discovered truth

Attempting to observe the predictions of a scientific hypothesis or theory.

Empirical testing

"I saw the moon rise last night" is a good example of a scientific law.

False

A falsified scientific theory is an explanation that has been demonstrated to have no applicability.

False

An observation of God's words (scripture) can be falsified using interpretations of God's works (nature).

False

Asking your college roommate which medication would best reduce the pain of a migraine headache is a good example of scientific reasoning.

False

Falsified scientific theories are completely false and cannot be trusted even in areas where they previously worked.

False

Falsified scientific theories are scientific explanations that have been demonstrated to have never contained any truth. As such, these explanations are no longer useful.

False

For a reasoned truth, a statement such as "This is True!" means that the idea accurately describes nature.

False

Fracture patterns in rock bodies that are caused by tectonic forces are good examples of agent-designed assembly.

False

In a volleyball game, the two teams, the referees, the ball, the court, and the fans are best described as a governing process.

False

In agent-designed assembly, the elements act for themselves.

False

No volcanic eruptions for an entire year would falsify the notion that volcanic activity results from tectonic processes. Group of answer choices

False

Observing a rock body that is 2 billion years old would not falsify the idea that the Earth was created a few thousands or a few tens of thousands of years ago.

False

One of the differences between a hypothesis and a theory is that a hypothesis has been extensively tested while a theory has not.

False

Providing solutions to political issues is a function of scientific theories.

False

Purchasing the best tennis racket for you by seeing if it is endorsed by a famous tennis player is a good example of scientific reasoning.

False

Questions about salvation are best answered by reasoned truths.

False

Reducing faith and contradicting religious interpretations of nature are functions of scientific theories.

False

Revealed truth has no significant limitations.

False

Scientific laws are interpretations, and scientific theories are observations.

False

Scientific theories are important because they can improve the quality and duration of human lives.

False

Scientific theories are important because they provide answers to moral questions.

False

Scientific theories are most valid when the rely solely on logic (reasoned truth), and not observation (discovered truth).

False

Scientific theories are the "philosophies of men".

False

Scientific theories fill three functions. They 1) explain how nature works, 2) falsify revealed truths, and 3) make predictions that guide future research.

False

Scientific theories make few, if any, predictions; as such, they are weak guides for future inquiry.

False

The essential test for a discovered truth is logic.Attempting to observe the predictions of a scientific hypothesis or theory. Group of answer choices

False

The formation of an automobile is an example of lawful self-assembly.

False

The opinion of a religious leader is a good example of God's Words.

False

The order found in houses is produced in the same way as the order found in rock candy crystals.

False

The question "In what way are things irregular? " is best answered by describing the order.

False

The screech you sometimes hear when a microphone is too close to a speaker is a good example of a negative feedback.

False

The tool of reasoned truth, logic, allows humanity to demonstrate the truthfulness of the premises upon which reasoned truths are based.

False

This statement is a good example of a discovered truth: "I think, therefore I am."

False

We can be more certain about reasoned truths because they are logical, and revealed and discovered truths are not.

False

When observations and explanations (hypotheses/theories) don't agree, it is generally best to ignore the observations and assume there was a mistake.

False

The process scientists use to test the truthfulness of scientific interpretations/explanations.

Falsification

Information that God reveals directly to humanity, including through His prophets (for example, scripture).

God's Words

The physical Universe (in other words, the entirety of the ongoing Creation of the physical world).

God's Works

Activities operating independently in nature that control the state of a system.

Governing processes

The way natural systems spontaneously produce persistently-ordered states.

Lawful self-assembly

An expected observation; an aspect of nature that should be observed if a hypothesis or theory is true.

Scientific prediction

An expected observation; an aspect of nature that should be observed if a hypothesis or theory is true. Scientific law

Scientific prediction

An extensively-tested scientific hypothesis—tested using all the observations presently available to humanity (and not falsified by those observations).

Scientific theory

A change from one enduring state to another.

State transition

The part of nature being studied.

The system

The process of determining whether the observations predicted by an extensively-tested scientific explanation exist.

Theory testing

"The offspring of organisms inherit characteristics from their biological parents" is a good example of a discovered truth.

True

A chief limitation of science is that it can only answer questions about the physical world.

True

A falsified scientific theory is a scientific explanation that can still accurately describe nature in parts of nature in which it had been tested and remained unfalsified.

True

A falsified theory is an idea that has been demonstrated to have limited applicability; as such, falsified scientific axioms are preparatory truths.

True

A scientific observation is objective - and therefore essentially indisputable - while a scientific interpretation can be proven false.

True

In a board game, the current location of all the pieces is best described as the state of the game.

True

In agent-designed assembly, incomplete versions typically do not function at all.

True

Lawful self-assembly does not require a blueprint.

True

Observation (evidence) is the foundation for modern scientific theories, because it allows them to be tested.

True

Questions about the natural world are best answered using discovered truth.

True

Science can discover absolute truth, but science contains no tool for demonstrating that it has discovered absolute truth. In other words, scientific theories can describe the physical world "as it really is", without ever being able to know that humanity has reached 'the end of knowledge' in this area.

True

Science is good at identifying false ideas but cannot prove an idea to be true.

True

Scientific postulates are ideas that allow humanity to study nature.

True

Scientific theories are extensively-tested ideas.

True

Scientific theories are falsified when their limits of applicability are discovered.

True

Scientific theories are important because they can improve the quality and duration of our lives.

True

Scientific theories are important because they demonstrate that there are some things that we will never understand.

True

Scientific theories are important because they guide the search for additional truth.

True

Scientific theories are important because they satisfy our yearning to understand/explain nature and guide the search for additional truth.

True

Scientific theories are important because they satisfy the human yearning to understand nature.

True

Scientific theories represent humanity's very best explanations for how nature works.

True

The knowledge provided by scientific theories gives humanity power to control or react to aspects of nature.

True

The question "How has the state changed?" is best answered by describing the transitions.

True

The question "What outside influences are acting on it?" is best answered by describing the pushes

True

The question "What rules are at work?" is best answered by describing the governing processes.

True

The thermostat in you home or apartment is a good example of a negative feedback.

True

When a strong witness of the Spirit about the reality of the prophet conflicts with a scholarly conclusion that the prophet is a fraud, a disciple-scholar would reject interpretations that are in conflict with revealed truth

True

When heat is added to ice causing it to melt, the change from ice to water is best described as a transition.

True

When water boils, the flow of heat from the heating element into the water is best described as a governing process.

True

Whether a dishwasher is empty, full of dirty dishes, currently washing or is full of clean dishes is best described as states of a system.

True

You conclude that it rained last night because the road in front of your house is wet. "It rained last night" is best described as a scientific hypothesis.

True

A bicycle is not an example of an ordered system because the parts all do different things.

false

All order is created by an agent directing the assembly of order.

false

If an explanation is tested, and the results match up with the explanation, then that explanation has been proven to be true.

false

In agent-designed assembly, the components are agents that act for themselves.

false

The order found in houses is produced in the same way as the order found in assembled mail-order furniture.

false

A statement summarizing many scientific observations that describes an observational pattern in nature.

law

A bicycle is an example of agent-designed assembly because someone had to design and build it.

true

Agent-designed assembly requires energy moving through the system.

true

Falsified scientific theories continue to be useful.

true

Falsified scientific theories remain valid descriptions of nature in the areas in which they could not be falsified by observation.

true

If something is not homogeneous—that is, it is clumpy and has 'parts' or areas that are different or behave differently—we would say that it is ordered.

true

In agent-designed assembly, an outside agent directs the assembly of an object or system.

true

Ordered systems have patterns that can be observed.

true

When observations and explanations (hypotheses/theories) don't agree, a scientist should be willing to reject the explanation as false, or at least not completely true.

true

Perfect knowledge of the way all things actually are. Something we strive for but cannot reach in this life.

Absolute truth

Perfect knowledge, the way things actually are—something we strive for but cannot reach in this life.f

Absolute truth

A sensory experience

An observation

An enduring state in which system behavior is lawfully chaotic.

Persistently disordered state

An enduring state in which system behavior is organized but unpredictable.

Persistently ordered state

A system response to a forcing/push that reinforces the effect of the forcing.

Positive feedback

A useful explanation that contains truth but only approximates absolute truth.

Preparatory truth

Truth that arises primarily from rational, logical thought.

Reasoned truth

A system's reaction to an event or process that acts to change system conditions.

Response

Truth revealed to humans by God through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Revealed truth

A sensory experience or identified pattern that all rational humans experience objectively.

Scientific Observation

An experience made with the senses—or an instrument that extends the senses—that all rational humans experience objectively.

Scientific Observation/Data

A foundational concept that undergirds the scientific endeavor and allows scientists to interpret observations; for example, mechanism and uniformitarianism.

Scientific Postulate

A scientific idea that seeks to explain the natural processes that produce an observation(s)/pattern(s).

Scientific hypothesis

A scientific explanation of the natural process(es) that produce a pattern/patterns in nature.

Scientific interpretation

Agent-designed assembly requires a designer.

True

An interpretation of God's words that is consistent with scripture can be falsified using observations of God's works (nature).

True

At a soccer match, the blowing of the referee's whistle that starts the game is best described as a push.

True

Because scientific theories have been so extensively tested, we can be certain that they are (at least) excellent preparatory truths and (at best) approach absolute truth.

True

Connecting otherwise large sets of unrelated observations is one of the essential functions of scientific theories.

True

Falsified scientific theories are preparatory truths.

True

For a revealed truth, a statement such as "This is True!" means that the truth has been confirmed to a person's soul by the power of the Holy Ghost.

True

Hypothesizing that the cake tastes bad because you didn't follow the recipe can be empirically tested by making another cake and ensuring that you follow the recipe and comparing the taste of the second cake to the taste of the first cake.

True

Identifying the cause for why your car won't start by doing things such as remembering when it last started, identifying any related events that have happened since it last started, trying a 'jump start', having your alternator (the part of the car that charges the battery) tested by a reputable parts store, and searching for disconnected cables is a good example of scientific reasoning.

True