Descriptive Theory

What is descriptive theory? How should it be defined?

There are some propositions that attempt to describe and explain the world. It is important to provide this class of propositions with a proper scientonomic definition.

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 that attempts to describe something.

Scientonomic History

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):

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

All Theories

The following theories have attempted to answer this question:

Theory	Formulation	Formulated In
Descriptive Theory (Sebastien-2016)	A set of propositions that attempts to describe something.	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:

Community	Theory	Accepted From	Accepted Until
Scientonomy	Descriptive Theory (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

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

Descriptive Theory (Sebastien-2016) states: "A set of propositions that attempts to describe something."

According to Sebastien's definition of the term, descriptive theories aim at describing a certain object under study, where describe is understood in the broad sense and includes explain, predict, etc. Thus, the term encompasses theories that attempt to describe a certain phenomenon, process, or state of affairs in the past, present, or future. All of the following propositions would qualify as descriptive:

• The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. (A general description of a phenomenon.)
• Paris is the capital of France. (A description of a current state of affairs.)
• Augustus was the first emperor of the Roman Empire. (A description of a past state of affairs.)
• Halley's comet will next appear in the night sky in the year 2062. (A description of a future event, i.e. a prediction.)

Typically, most propositions produced by both empirical and formal sciences would fall under the category of descriptive theory. Among others, this includes substantive propositions of physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, and economics, as well those of historical sciences. Excluded from this category are normative propositions, such as those of methodology, ethics, or aesthetics.

Related Topics

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

• Normative Theory
• Theory