4 ms·
Scientists can't prove anything. They can only make statistical correlations and establish causation to a degree. When I use the word "prove" i don't mean like
by nendroid 6y ago
Scientists can't prove anything. They can only make statistical correlations and establish causation to a degree.
When I use the word "prove" i don't mean like proving things in math. Nobody means this, it's obvious to everyone what they mean. Prove in this context means well established. For example if I say scientists have proved the theory of gravity.
What's going on here is extreme pedantry. Prove has meaning in different contexts, you have chosen the most technical pedantic context to suit some misguided purpose rather than the most obvious context. There's no point in taking this further.
- nineplay 6y agoI am not trying to be pedantic. There are many contexts in which 'prove' might be a reasonable term colloquially. However you are referring to a social science when you talk about differences between kids of different generations. I think using 'proved' in that context puts you on pretty shakey ground.
- lerptime 6y agoScientists can't prove anything. They can only make statistical correlations and establish causation to a degree. What this means is that whenever you use the word "prove" with "science" it is colloquial. It is always colloquial. The statistical methods used in social sciences are no different than the statistical methods used to "prove" things in physics.