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{{Definitional Topic|Question TypeSingular Capitalized=Theory|Plural Capitalized=Theories|Singular Lowercase=theory|Plural Lowercase=Definitionaltheories|Indefinite Article=a
|Question=What is '''theory'''? How should it be ''defined''?
|Description=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''.
|PrehistoryAuthors List=Hakob Barseghyan|Formulated Year=Prehistory here2015|HistoryPrehistory=The original definition In modern times philosophers have held a variety of views about how best to express the term was proposed by Barseghyan in 2015structure and content of scientific theories.[[CiteRef::Barseghyan Winther (20152016)]]|Current ===Syntactic View=Currently== 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.[[CiteRef::Winther (2016)]] In 1928 [[Rudolf Carnap]] published his ''The Logical Structure of the World'theory''' is defined as , which put forward this view, which was central to logical empiricism.[[CiteRef::Andersen and Hepburn (2015)]] [[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 set family of propositions related ideas rather than a single approach.[[CiteRef::Mormann (2008)]] The view was so widely accepted in the early twentieth century that attempt it is sometimes referred to describe or prescribe somethingas the received view. Theories [[CiteRef::Halvorson (2012)]] ===Semantic View===The semantic view holds that the structure of a scientific theory can be descriptive (eexpressed as a set of mathematical models, as models were defined by [[Alfred Tarski]].gIt rejects the metamathematical language of the syntactic view. natural[[CiteRef::Halvorson (2012)]][[CiteRef::Winther (2016)]] 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, socialthe Gauss chain model of a polymer, the Lorentz model of the atmosphere, and formal sciencethe double helix model of DNA.[[CiteRef::Frigg (2006) or normative (e.g. methodology]] Major proponents of the semantic view include [[John Von Neumann]], who wrote on the subject in the thirties, ethics[[Fredrick Suppe]], and axiology[[Bas Van Fraassen]].[[CiteRef::Winther (2016)]] The semantic view emerged in the 1960’s and 1970’s and became the dominant view in subsequent decades. Theories can consist [[John Ladyman]] used it in his formulation of thousands structural realism in physics. The semantic view has played a major role in the philosophy of interconnected propositions or, biology and psychology in an extremerecent decades.[[CiteRef::Halvorson (2012)]] ===Pragmatic View===The pragmatic view rejects a purely formal characterization of scientific theories entirely, and supposes that a theory necessarily consists of one single propositionsentences, 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.[[CiteRef::Sebastien Mormann (2008)]][[CiteRef::Winther (2016)]] Proponents of the pragmatic view include [[Nancy Cartwright]], [[Ian Hacking]], [[Philip Kitcher]], and [[Helen Longino]]. |History=[[Theory (Barseghyan-2015)|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.[[FileCiteRef::Theory_Sebastien_2016_DefinitionBarseghyan (2015)]] As such, this definition excluded normative propositions.pngIn early 2017, it was replaced by [[Theory (Sebastien-2016)|center|390pxthe definition]]suggested by Sebastien in 2016.|Current View=
|Related Topics=Method, Scientific Mosaic
|Page Status=Needs Editing
|Editor Notes=
}}
{{Acceptance Record
|Community=Community:Scientonomy
|Accepted From Era=CE
|Accepted From Year=2016
|Accepted From Month=January
|Accepted From Day=1
|Accepted From Approximate=No
|Acceptance Indicators=The term became accepted together with the rest of the original TSC.
|Still Accepted=Yes
|Accepted Until Era=
|Accepted Until Year=
|Accepted Until Month=
|Accepted Until Day=
|Accepted Until Approximate=No
|Rejection Indicators=
}}