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
