Theory Rejection theorem (Barseghyan-2015)

An attempt to answer the question of Mechanism of Theory Rejection which states "A theory becomes rejected only when other theories that are incompatible with the theory become accepted."

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

History

Acceptance Record

Here is the complete acceptance record of Theory Rejection 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

Theory Rejection theorem (Barseghyan-2015) is an attempt to answer the following question: How do theories become rejected? What is the mechanism of theory rejection?

See Mechanism of Theory Rejection for more details.

Description

According to the theory rejection theorem, a theory becomes rejected only when other theories that are incompatible with the theory become accepted. By the First Law for theories, an accepted theory will remain accepted until it is replaced by other theories. By the Zeroth Law, the elements of the scientific mosaic must be compatible with one another. Thus, a theory can only become rejected when it is replaced by an incompatible theory or theories.1p. 167-172

It is important to note that the rejection of the axioms of a theory does not necessarily lead to the rejection of its theorems. The theorems may retain their place in the scientific mosaic after the axioms from which they are derived get rejected. Each theorem is assessed on an "individual basis by its compatibility with the propositions of the newly accepted theory."1p. 168 If it turns out that a theorem or theorems are compatible with the propositions of the newly accepted theory, they remain in the scientific mosaic. Conversely, if the theorems are incompatible with the propositions of the newly accepted theory, they become rejected as per the theory rejection theorem.

The theory rejection theorem has another corollary. A theory can become rejected not only when replaced by theories of its own discipline, but by theories of other disciplines as well. Normally, we think that a physical theory becomes rejected when a new physical theory that is incompatible with the old one becomes accepted. It is possible that the physical theory becomes rejected, because a new chemical or biological theory that is incompatible with the physical theory becomes accepted.1p. 171

[DIAGRAM FROM P.171 OF BARSEYGHAN 2015 NEEDED]

References

1. a b c d ↑ Barseghyan, Hakob. (2015) The Laws of Scientific Change. Springer.

Contributors

Ameer Sarwar (56.1%), Jacob MacKinnon (2.7%), Hakob Barseghyan (14.3%), Paul Patton (26.9%)