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Indicators of Theory Acceptance (Barseghyan-2015) (view source)
Revision as of 00:26, 25 July 2017
, 00:26, 25 July 2017no edit summary
Textbooks are typically written with the objective of presenting the current state of knowledge in their field and thus often a good gauge of accepted thinking. But because they are often written by a single or small number of authors, they should be treated with caution.
University curricula similarly typically have the goal of exposing students to an accepted body of knowledge in a field. However, theories that are not considered the best available theory are sometimes nonetheless taught. Classical physics is taught to modern physics students not because it is deemed the best available description of its subject matter but because it is useful for many practical applications and is simpler and easier to understand than the more advanced treatments of the subject matter using quantum physics or general relativity theory. Items can also sometimes be included in a curriculum out of historical interest rather than current value.
Minutes of association meetings can also sometimes be indicative of the stance of a community towards a particular theory. However, minutes can often provide only a fragmentary indication of what was accepted and what was not.