Contextual Appraisal theorem (Barseghyan-2015)

An attempt to answer the question of Nature of Appraisal which states "Theory assessment is an assessment of a proposed modification of the mosaic by the method employed at the time."

Contextual Appraisal theorem was formulated by Hakob Barseghyan in 2015.1 It is currently accepted by Scientonomy community as the best available theory on the subject.

Prehistory

The phenomenon of context dependence in science has been described and emphasized by many authors, notably by Helen Longino.2

History

Acceptance Record

Here is the complete acceptance record of Contextual Appraisal theorem (Barseghyan-2015):

Community	Accepted From	Acceptance Indicators	Still Accepted	Accepted Until	Rejection Indicators
Scientonomy	1 January 2016	The theorem became de facto accepted by the community at that time together with the whole theory of scientific change.	Yes

Question Answered

Contextual Appraisal theorem (Barseghyan-2015) is an attempt to answer the following question: What is the nature of theory appraisal? Does actual theory assessment concern an individual theory taken in isolation from other theories?

See Nature of Appraisal for more details.

Description

Theory assessment is an assessment of a proposed modification of the scientific mosaic by the method employed at the time. By the first law, a theory already in the mosaic is no longer appraised. By the second law, it is only assessed when it first enters the mosaic1pp. 185-196.

References

1. a b ↑ Barseghyan, Hakob. (2015) The Laws of Scientific Change. Springer.
2. ^ ↑ Longino, Helen. (1990) Science as Social Knowledge: Values and Objectivity in Scientific Inquiry. Princeton University Press.

Contributors

Jacob MacKinnon (6.1%), Hakob Barseghyan (31.3%), Paul Patton (62.7%)