Difference between revisions of "Theory"

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'''Theory''' is a set of propositions that attempt to describe or prescribe something. Theories can be descriptive (e.g. natural, social, and formal science) or normative (e.g. methodology, ethics, and axiology). Theories can consist of thousands of interconnected propositions or, in an extreme, of one single proposition.  
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{{Topic
 
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|Question Type=Definitional
== Prehistory ==
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|Question=What is '''theory'''? How should it be ''defined''?
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|Description=Among the major tasks of scientonomy is to explain transitions from one accepted theory to the next. Thus, it is crucial to have a well-defined notion of ''theory''.
Prehistory here
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|Prehistory=Prehistory here
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|History=The original definition of the term was proposed by Barseghyan in 2015.[[CiteRef::Barseghyan (2015)]]
 
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|Current View=Currently, '''theory''' is defined as a set of propositions that attempt to describe or prescribe something. Theories can be descriptive (e.g. natural, social, and formal science) or normative (e.g. methodology, ethics, and axiology). Theories can consist of thousands of interconnected propositions or, in an extreme, of one single proposition.[[CiteRef::Sebastien (2016)]]  
== History ==
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[[File:Theory_Sebastien_2016_Definition.png|center|390px]]
== Current View ==
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|Related Topics=Method, Scientific Mosaic
 
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=== Descriptive and Normative ===
 
 
 
== Open Questions ==
 
 
 
• Question 1
 
 
 
• Question 2
 
 
 
== Related Articles ==
 
 
 
[[Scientific Mosaic]]
 
 
 
[[Method]]
 
 
 
[[Theory Acceptance]]
 
 
 
[[The Second Law]]
 

Revision as of 20:30, 15 August 2016

What is theory? How should it be defined?

Among the major tasks of scientonomy is to explain transitions from one accepted theory to the next. Thus, it is crucial to have a well-defined notion of theory.

In the scientonomic context, this term was first used by Hakob Barseghyan in 2015. The term is currently accepted by Scientonomy community.

In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is:

  • A set of propositions.

Broader History

Prehistory here

Scientonomic History

The original definition of the term was proposed by Barseghyan in 2015.1

Acceptance Record

Here is the complete acceptance record of this question (it includes all the instances when the question was accepted as a legitimate topic for discussion by a community):
CommunityAccepted FromAcceptance IndicatorsStill AcceptedAccepted UntilRejection Indicators
Scientonomy1 January 2016The term became accepted together with the rest of the original TSC.Yes

All Theories

The following theories have attempted to answer this question:
TheoryFormulationFormulated In
Theory (Barseghyan-2015)A set of propositions that attempt to describe something.2015
Theory (Sebastien-2016)A set of propositions.2016

If an answer to this question is missing, please click here to add it.

Accepted Theories

The following theories have been accepted as answers to this question:
CommunityTheoryAccepted FromAccepted Until
ScientonomyTheory (Barseghyan-2015)1 January 201615 February 2017
ScientonomyTheory (Sebastien-2016)15 February 2017

Suggested Modifications

Here is a list of modifications concerning this topic:
Modification Community Date Suggested Summary Verdict Verdict Rationale Date Assessed
Sciento-2016-0002 Scientonomy 3 September 2016 Accept a new taxonomy for theory, normative theory, descriptive theory to reintroduce normative propositions (such as those of ethics or methodology) to the scientific mosaic. Not Accepted Since this modification consisted of two interrelated but essentially distinct suggestions - one definitional and one ontological - it was decided by the community to divide it into two modifications so that the gist of the proposed suggestions is properly articulated. In particular, it was agreed that there are two modifications in "the heart of this single modification - one ontological, the other definitional".c1 It was also agreed that the current formulation "is exclusively definitional, and does not give the community an opportunity to appreciate (and, well, accept) the ontological changes that come along with it".c2 Consequently, it was decided to divide this modification into two modifications - one definitional and one ontological.c3 23 January 2017
Sciento-2017-0001 Scientonomy 23 January 2017 Accept new definitions for theory, normative theory, and descriptive theory. Also, modify the definition of methodology to reflect these changes. Accepted The community agreed that this is "an important addition to theoretical scientonomy".c1 It was agreed that since "the paradox of normative propositions has been solved, a revised set of definitions was needed".c2 It was emphasized that if we're going to have any sort of conversation on the status of normative propositions in the mosaic, "then we need to start from a definition".c3 15 February 2017

Current View

Currently, theory is defined as a set of propositions that attempt to describe or prescribe something. Theories can be descriptive (e.g. natural, social, and formal science) or normative (e.g. methodology, ethics, and axiology). Theories can consist of thousands of interconnected propositions or, in an extreme, of one single proposition.2

In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is Theory (Sebastien-2016).

Theory (Sebastien-2016) states: "A set of propositions."

Theory (Sebastien-2016).png

Unlike Barseghyan's original definition of theory, this definition is deliberately neutral with respect to the descriptive/prescriptive divide. Thus, it allows for the existence of theories of various types and is not limited to descriptive theories.

Related Topics

This topic is also related to the following topic(s):

  • Scientific Mosaic
  • MethodNote Note: Something went wrong and the topic type is undefined. If you see this message, please contact the editors with the details.

References

  1. ^  Barseghyan, Hakob. (2015) The Laws of Scientific Change. Springer.
  2. ^  Sebastien, Zoe. (2016) The Status of Normative Propositions in the Theory of Scientific Change. Scientonomy 1, 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/26947.