Gravity is a law that is worldly accepted. It is the force of attraction that moves or tends to move bodies towards the center of the earth. Gravity was derived from careful experiment by Isaac Newton, one of the most renowned scientists. It is deduced through scientific inquiry. ‘Black cats bringing bad luck’ is one of the most common of all superstitions. Black cats were seen as the symbol of witches in the Middle Ages. Many people believed that the black cats would evolve or transform into creatures, such as devils, demons or witches. These creatures were greatly feared by people. But they are simply mythical creatures. There is no logic that exists in this claim, as it is solely deduced on a person’s belief. Whereas, “the gravitational constant is 9.8m/s2, is based on experiments, carried out step-by-step with reason and logic.
Both of the claims though, hold at least some uncertainty. The validity of the superstition on black cats is very doubtful. The term ‘bad luck’ is commonly used to comfort a person from believing that a mistake or a mishap in their routine lives was their own fault. Black cats bring bad luck, according to many. This statement transfers one’s own blame, guilt, unhappiness and regret onto the black cat. People that are insecure, that need support from elsewhere, are unstable, or are frightened by life and its obstacles, believe in this superstition to run away from reality. This shows how and why this superstitious claim is very different than the scientific claim, as it holds emotions. Gravity, on the other hand, is an idea that is formed by careful experiment and is not yet refuted. There are no emotions involved in a scientific claim. The claim is not a belief either, but more a rational, empirical claim. But because there is a slight possibility that the constant of gravity may be proven false in the future, there is some ambiguity to the claim’s total reliability. This is the only way the two very different claims can be connected, but still they definitely cannot be given the same status.
Bad luck does not appear every time a black cat crosses a person’s path. This means that the claim can be discredited not only scientifically, but also by people who just do not experience bad luck when a cat crosses their path. This is why the knowledge claim is seen as a belief claim. A belief claim does not have to be proven correctly for some people to believe in it, because it is already and automatically accepted as a truth. It is a claim that carries emotion, ideas, and imagination. It is subjective, an opinion, a conviction. These ideas clearly indicate that the claim “having a black cat cross your path brings bad luck” is a belief claim. In contrast, the gravity constant cannot be scientifically discredited today. Yes, maybe in the future, in the vastness of nature, and humankind’s perpetual discoveries, the law may be proven wrong. But today and tomorrow, gravity on earth will be 9.8m/s2 and until that discovery that under some circumstances the gravitational constant is different, the claim is given the scientific status. A scientific claim is one that is objective, unbiased and neutral. It has no link to emotion, creativity and imagination. It is solely based on empirical knowledge, rational knowledge, and scientific knowledge. To be a justified, a scientific claim is proven by experiment and after that is accepted as a truth. These ideas clearly show that the claim “the gravitational constant is 9.8m/s2” is a scientific claim. Thus, the two claims are given very different status, as they hold ideas that are poles apart.
