Science isn’t about proving anything

You are correct, science is not about proving things. Instead, science is a systematic and evidence-based approach to understanding the natural world. The goal of science is to explain and predict phenomena through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of empirical data.

In scientific research, scientists propose hypotheses, which are tentative explanations or predictions about a phenomenon. These hypotheses are then tested through experiments and observations. Through this process, scientists gather evidence that either supports or refutes the hypothesis.

The strength of scientific knowledge lies in the accumulation of multiple lines of evidence supporting a particular explanation. Scientists aim to provide the most reasonable and reliable explanations based on the available evidence. However, it is always possible for new evidence or observations to challenge or modify existing scientific explanations.

While science does not aim to prove things definitively, it does strive for a high degree of confidence in its explanations. This is achieved through rigorous testing, peer review, replication, and consensus-building among scientists. The scientific process encourages skepticism, critical thinking, and an open mind to revise or discard explanations that are inconsistent with new evidence.

So, scientific claims are considered reliable when they have undergone rigorous testing and have withstood scrutiny by the scientific community. However, as new evidence emerges, scientific knowledge evolves and adjusts.