`  == Discussion: theory / hypothesis / concept ==  Please keep points brief, non-personal, and based upon sources.  === In favor of ``theory`` ===  === In favor of ``hypothesis`` ===  === In favor of ``idea``, ``concept``, etc ===  ==== Statement from vzaak ==== * The distinction between ``scientific theory`` and the colloquial meaning of ``theory`` is not widely appreciated by the general public. Creationists continue to call evolution ``just a theory``, including various governors of Texas. It is not original research to recognize this distinction and to prevent confusion in the article.  * While even skeptics like Shermer and Blackmore say ``theory of morphic resonance``, this doesn't imply that the article should. To wit, the article contrasts morphic resonance with scientific theories: ``a lack of evidence supporting the theory and its inconsistency with established scientific theories``. Besides being awkward, that is likely to cause confusion for the general reader.  * Maddox explicitly says that morphic resonance is not a scientific theory, that it is not falsifiable, and that it is only an hypothesis insofar as water divining is an hypothesis.  * Rose calls it ``an entirely empty hypothesis`` and ``an hypothesis of such astounding generality as to be virtually vacuous``.  This is not an argument for calling it an hypothesis in the article. Rose is saying, like Maddox, that it is not scientific. As with water divining, one can always formulate and test an hypothesis, but the meaning of a viable scientific hypothesis, like the meaning of a viable scientific theory, is different.  * Shermer considers morphic resonance to be unfalsifiable.  * Testimonies from these experts and others suggest that the article should not mix the colloquial ``theory`` and ``hypothesis`` (e.g. conspiracy theories, tests of dowsing) with their scientific counterparts.  * Everyone can agree that general terminology like ``idea`` or ``concept`` is at least technically accurate, while this is not true for ``theory`` or ``hypothesis``. All scientific theories are ultimately concepts (metaphysics aside), but not all concepts are scientific theories.      === Discussion ===`