Theory

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

In modern times philosophers have held a variety of views about how best to express the structure and content of scientific theories.1

Syntactic View

The syntactical view holds that the structure of a scientific theory can be captured by an axiomatized system of sentences. It is expressed in a metamathematical language that included predicate logic, set theory, and model theory.1 In 1928 Rudolf Carnap published his The Logical Structure of the World, which put forward this view, which was central to logical empiricism.2 Hans Reichenbach, Otto Neurath, Carl Hempel, and Herbert Feigl were also major contributors. The logical empiricist answer to the question of the structure of scientific theories was a family of related ideas rather than a single approach.3 The view was so widely accepted in the early twentieth century that it is sometimes referred to as the received view.4

Semantic View

The semantic view holds that the structure of a scientific theory can be expressed as a set of mathematical models, as models were defined by Alfred Tarski. It rejects the metamathematical language of the syntactic view.41 Some important models in science include the bag model of quark confinement, the hard ball model of a gas, the Bohr model of the atom, the Gauss chain model of a polymer, the Lorentz model of the atmosphere, and the double helix model of DNA.5 Major proponents of the semantic view include John Von Neumann, who wrote on the subject in the thirties, Fredrick Suppe, and Bas Van Fraassen.1 The semantic view emerged in the 1960’s and 1970’s and became the dominant view in subsequent decades. John Ladyman used it in his formulation of structural realism in physics. The semantic view has played a major role in the philosophy of biology and psychology in recent decades.4

Pragmatic View

The pragmatic view rejects a purely formal characterization of scientific theories entirely, and supposes that a theory necessarily consists of sentences, models, problems, standards, skills, practices, including such things as analogies, metaphors, and natural kinds, with its full characterization necessarily including elements that cannot be formalized.31 Proponents of the pragmatic view include Nancy Cartwright, Ian Hacking, Philip Kitcher, and Helen Longino.

Scientonomic History

The original definition of theory was proposed by Barseghyan in 2015. It defined a theory as any set of propositions that attempt to describe something.6 As such, this definition excluded normative propositions. In early 2017, it was replaced by the definition suggested by Sebastien in 2016.

Acceptance Record

Here is the complete acceptance record of this term (it includes all the instances when the term was accepted as a part of a community's taxonomy):

Community	Accepted From	Acceptance Indicators	Still Accepted	Accepted Until	Rejection Indicators
Scientonomy	1 January 2016	The term became accepted together with the rest of the original TSC.	Yes

All Theories

The following definitions of the term have been suggested:

Theory	Formulation	Formulated In
Theory (Barseghyan-2015)	A set of propositions that attempt to describe something.	2015
Theory (Sebastien-2016)	A set of propositions.	2016

If a definition of this term is missing, please click here to add it.

Accepted Theories

The following definitions of the term have been accepted:

Community	Theory	Accepted From	Accepted Until
Scientonomy	Theory (Barseghyan-2015)	1 January 2016	15 February 2017
Scientonomy	Theory (Sebastien-2016)	15 February 2017

Suggested Modifications

Here is a list of modifications concerning this term:

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 Definition

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

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

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.

Ontology

Existence

In Scientonomy, it is currently accepted that "There is such a thing as a theory."

Disjointness

In Scientonomy, no classes are currently accepted as disjoint with Theory.

Subtypes

In Scientonomy, the accepted subtypes of Theory are:

• Normative Theory
• Descriptive Theory
• Definition

Supertypes

In Scientonomy, the following supertype of Theory is currently accepted:

• Epistemic Element

Associations

In Scientonomy, the following associations of Theory are currently accepted:

• A question can presuppose theories.
  
• A theory is an answer to a question.
  

Epistemic Stances Towards Theories

In Scientonomy, the accepted answers to the question can be summarized as follows:

• The stances of theory acceptance, theory pursuit and theory use can be taken towards a theory.
• The stance of compatibility can be taken towards an epistemic element.

If a question concerning the ontology of a theory is missing, please add it here.

Dynamics

Mechanism of Scientific Inertia for Theories

In Scientonomy, the accepted answer to the question is:

• An element of the mosaic remains in the mosaic unless replaced by other elements.

Necessary Theories

In Scientonomy, the accepted answer to the question is:

• In order for the process of scientific change to be possible, the mosaic must necessarily contain at least one employed method.

If a question concerning the dynamics of a theory is missing, please add it here.

Related Topics

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

• Scientific Mosaic
• Method