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|Description='''Theory appraisal''' refers to how we assess a theory to determine whether to accept it. From ancient times up until the mid-twentieth century, it was widely supposed that theories were appraised in isolation from one another; a position known as '''absolute appraisal'''. Once fallibilism became widely accepted, it was suggested instead that theory appraisal is a '''comparative''' matter, in which the relative merits of competing theories were assessed. '''Contextual appraisal''' contends that a theory is assessed only in relation to the entire mosaic of accepted theories and employed methods. For the historian, several elements must be considered in order to avoid committing anachronisms.