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Originally Posted by nightshift
Ahhh but the prediction of a theory IS speculation, after all, it is a theory, as is all science until it is proven beyond doubt, space is full of doubt and theories, call me a scinic but only the proven is fact, ask any court of law.
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This is a common misconception about scientific theory, that it equates to "speculation" or opinion. It certainly can't be regarded as fact, but nor can it be really regarded as simply speculation. There seems to have been a conflation in many peoples minds of the meaning of scientific theory and the term "theory" as used in everyday speech (e.g. I've got a theory why the weekend days always seem shorter than workdays). In common usage the word "theory" has come to mean opinion or speculation (or just plain running off at the mouth), often of a single individual, and is often used to describe something that has been said (or believed) in a way that casts doubt on it's validity or basis.
Scientific theory does differ in some important ways from this common usage meaning. First, and most fundamentally, scientific theory is phrased so as to be
testable, perhaps not always with the current technology available, but there must at least be the potential for testing and the criteria for testing and confirmation or refutation should be made explicit. Scientific theory should also be based on and be consistent with
repeatable observations, generally from a range of different individuals. In short, scientific theories are based on stated evidence from observations and they invite challenge by others, and from fresh observations, that seek to test the theory, also from testable and repeatable observations and the evidence they generate. Again, they're not fact, but should a theory stand the test of time and the multiple challenges thrown at it, it should be regarded with considerable more respect than that embodied in the term "speculation".