Core Theory
What is core theory? How should it be defined?
A scientific discipline normally includes a great number of theories. However, it is often the case that some of these theories are more central to the discipline than others. As the concept of core theory intends to capture these central theories of a discipline, it is helpful to have a proper definition of the term.
In the scientonomic context, this term was first used by Paul Patton and Cyrus Al-Zayadi in 2021. The term is currently accepted by Scientonomy community.
In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is:
- A core theory of a discipline is a theory presupposed by the discipline’s core questions.
Contents
Scientonomic History
Acceptance Record of the Term
Community | Accepted From | Acceptance Indicators | Still Accepted | Accepted Until | Rejection Indicators |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scientonomy | 1 August 2021 | This is when Patton and Al-Zayadi's Disciplines in the Scientonomic Ontology that offered a definition of the term was published. This is a good indication that the question of how the term is to be defined is considered legitimate by the community. | Yes |
All Definitions
Theory | Formulation | Formulated In |
---|---|---|
Core Theory (Patton-Al-Zayadi-2021) | A core theory of a discipline is a theory presupposed by the discipline’s core questions. | 2021 |
Accepted Definitions
Community | Theory | Formulation | Accepted From | Accepted Until |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scientonomy | Core Theory (Patton-Al-Zayadi-2021) | A core theory of a discipline is a theory presupposed by the discipline’s core questions. | 21 February 2024 |
Suggested Modifications
Modification | Community | Date Suggested | Summary | Date Assessed | Verdict | Verdict Rationale |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sciento-2021-0006 | Scientonomy | 1 August 2021 | Accept new definitions of subquestion, core question, core theory, discipline, delineating theory, subdiscipline, and discipline acceptance. | 21 February 2024 | Accepted | Prior to the 2024 workshop, Hakob Barseghyan commented on the encyclopedia indicating his support for accepting this modification and noted its potential to underpin further work on discipline dynamics. In fact, a significant amount of observational scientonomy work has been carried out in the past few years (including the paper on the rejection of alchemy by Friesen and Patton (2023),1 as well as some more recent papers) that presupposes the acceptance of these definitions, despite the fact that the modification containing them formally remains open. There was very little discussion about the modification, beyond raising points for the community to look forward to in the future, like a brief discussion between Jamie Shaw and Paul Patton about the need for more research on the difference between disciplines and disciplinary communities. The modification was accepted unanimously with 18 votes. |
Current Definition
In Scientonomy, the accepted definition of the term is Core Theory (Patton-Al-Zayadi-2021).
Core Theory (Patton-Al-Zayadi-2021) states: "A core theory of a discipline is a theory presupposed by the discipline’s core questions."
A core theory of a discipline is a theory presupposed by the discipline's core questions.2 The scientific mosaic consists of theories and questions.3456 Questions constitute hierarchies where more specific questions are subquestions of broader questions. Within this hierarchy, certain general questions play a special role as core questions. These questions are essential to a discipline, and have the power to identify it and determine its boundaries. For example, a core question of evolutionary biology would be 'how did living species originate as a result of evolution?'. Questions always presuppose theories, which endow them with semantic content. Those presupposed by a discipline's core questions, are that discipline's core theories. For our example, the theory in question would be The neo-Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection.
Ontology
Existence
In Scientonomy, it is currently accepted that "There is such a thing as a core theory."
Subtypes
In Scientonomy, there are currently no accepted subtypes of Core Theory.
Supertypes
In Scientonomy, there are currently no accepted supertypes of Core Theory.
Associations
In Scientonomy, there are currently no accepted associations of Core Theory.
Disjointness
In Scientonomy, no classes are currently accepted as disjoint with Core Theory.
If a question concerning the ontology of a core theory is missing, please add it here.
Dynamics
If a question concerning the dynamics of a core theory is missing, please add it here.
References
- ^ Friesen, Izzy and Patton, Paul. (2023) Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy. Scientonomy 5, 93-110. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/42268.
- ^ Patton, Paul and Al-Zayadi, Cyrus. (2021) Disciplines in the Scientonomic Ontology. Scientonomy 4, 59-85. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/37123.
- ^ Barseghyan, Hakob. (2015) The Laws of Scientific Change. Springer.
- ^ Barseghyan, Hakob. (2018) Redrafting the Ontology of Scientific Change. Scientonomy 2, 13-38. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/31032.
- ^ Rawleigh, William. (2018) The Status of Questions in the Ontology of Scientific Change. Scientonomy 2, 1-12. Retrieved from https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/29651.
- ^ 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.