Analysis of the Opinion of Judge William R. Overton

Judge William R. Overton sets out five criteria in examining the validity of 'creation science' as a scientific theory in the case McLean vs. Arkansas. Two of these characteristics are testability against the empirical world and the tentativeness of a theory's conclusion. Overton explains why he thinks these criteria are important and why creation science fails to satisfy them.
Overton feels that testability against the empirical world is a fundamental tenet of modern science. According to Overton testability or falsifiability is what makes a theory scientific. Overton believes tha…