When we speak of theory in everyday use, we use it in the sense of being a hunch or a guess because it lacks the supporting evidence to prove validity. A scientific theory is different as it is "an explanation or model that fits many observations and makes accurate predictions" (Kalat, 2017, pg. 28). A good theory will be construed with the smallest amount of assumptions as possible that will lead to numerous correct outcomes. A theory that is formulated accordingly should be falsifiable, written in an exact and clear way even showing any evidence of the theory failing if that is is even possibly. "For example, the theory of gravity makes precise predictions about falling objects" (Kalat, 2017, pg. 29). The criteria for evaluating scientific
Any hypothesis, Gould says, begins with the collection of facts. In this early stage of a theory development bad science leads nowhere, since it contains either little or contradicting evidence. On the other hand, Gould suggests, testable proposals are accepted temporarily, furthermore, new collected facts confirm a hypothesis. That is how good science works. It is self-correcting and self-developing with the flow of time: new information improves a good theory and makes it more precise. Finally, good hypotheses create logical relations to other subjects and contribute to their expansion.
In science, a theory will refer to an explanation of an important feature of the world supported by testing and facts that have been gathered over time. It’s there scientific theories that allow scientists to make predictions about untested and unobserved concurrences in the world. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has this explanation of what a theory means to those in the science field, and it is as follows, “A scientific theory is a well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts......Such fact supported theories are not guesses but reliable accounts of the real
Rebecca Skloot’s novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks told the story of the injustice done a a young African American woman, and her family. Henrietta’s cancerous cells were taken from her without her consent, and turned out to be immortal. They were sold all over the world for billions of dollars, while her family, struggling to put food on the table, did not receive a penny of it. Rebecca Skloot uncovers the hidden story of the HeLa cells, and provides a novel not only highly informational, but also with insight to the workings of science. This book outlines the process of scientific inquiry, reveals the contrary forces of altruism and profit that influenced HeLa, and the risks and benefits of profit guiding research as well as the obstacles faced when conducting research for purely altruistic reasons.
First, when observations are made, hypothesises are formed. To test these hypothesises scientists conduct experiments. If their hypothesis is right, it is confirmed by further experiments and validated by other scientists. After many experiments and confirmations, a theory is formed. A scientific theory is a broad and general idea or explanation provided by scientists and is related to observations and is supported by a large amount of evidence. A theory is not a fact however it is just a possible explanation. An example of a theory is the Big Bang Theory.
There are many definitions to theory. According to Akers (2009) “theories are tentative answers to the commonly asked questions about events and behavior” (Akers, (2009, p. 1). Theory is a set of interconnect statements that explain how two or more things are related in two casual fashions, based upon a confirmed hypotheses and established multiple times by disconnected groups of researchers.
In addition to logical consistency, testability is an important piece when evaluating a theory. According to Akers & Sellers (2013), “a theory must be testable by objective, repeatable evidence” (p.5); thus, if the theory is not testable then it has no scientific value. There are several reasons why a theory might not be testable; such as its concepts may not be observable or reportable events and tautology. Tautology refers to a statement or hypothesis that is tr...
By presenting the creation model as science, creationists have re-raised the question of what "science" is. Philosophers of science have worked out a commonly accepted list of criteria (produced well outside the debate between creationists and evolutionists). To be accepted as science, a theory must have predictive value, must be coherent (or internally consistent), must ...
A theory is basically a way to describe the essence of things. It involves careful consideration over what, how and why things come to be, how they work, and any interrelationship shared among other human realities. Theories seek to explain what the observer witnesses through thorough examination and thoughtful contemplation over matters some simple and some more complex (Akers, & Sellers, 2013). There is a distinct difference between ideas, thoughts and scientific theories and the essential component is what C. Wright Mills calls the sociological imagination (1959). It is important for intellectual thought to move from individual experience to a social standpoint, this shift the perspective from internal to external, becomi...
“Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism” is Bas van Fraassen’s attack on the positive construction of science. He starts by defining scientific realism as the goal of science to provide a “literally true story of what the world is like;” and the “acceptance of a scientific theory” necessitates the “belief that it is true”. This definition contains two important attributes. The first attribute describes scientific realism as practical. The aim of science is to reach an exact truth of the world. The second attribute is that scientific realism is epistemic. To accept a theory one must believe that it is true. Van Fraassen acknowledges that a “literally true account” divides anti-realists into two camps. The first camp holds the belief that science’s aim is to give proper descriptions of what the world is like. On the other hand, the second camp believes that a proper description of the world must be given, but acceptance of corresponding theories as true is not necessary.
Testing a theory typically means attempting to disprove the theory, and Popper would argue this is the only way to establish it as empirical or scientific. The history of science shows that theories are constantly being disproved and re-written, as we look back at theories such as the earth being the center of the universe, which was accepted as scientific knowledge at the time. The same process can be seen for nearly every piece of scientific knowledge. Popper would say this is an example of the unstable bedrock of science, with current theory simply being the highest point, but still made of this metaphorical swamp of human
“The Science of Why we Don’t Believe in Science”, an article by Chris Mooney, describes and illustrates why most humans don’t follow the path of scientific and motivational reasoning [2]. This enticing article ranges on all key aspects of the human brain, from motivated reasoning and honing in on tendencies of the human mind [5], Mooney takes critical thinking deeper than the naked eye, examining the mind along with it’s thought process. Diving further into the brain, what we perceive and the perception we lack, tie into this context, giving the article drive and logic. Taking it’s reader far beyond what what the average mind consciously perceives.
Theory is explained as a set of concepts, definitions, relationships, and assumptions that amplify a systematic view of a phenomenon. Theory is made up of one or more specific and concrete
Since the beginning of humanity, science has been a developing topic full of mystery and questions. These questions might be as small as why closet doors close easier during the winter compared to the summer, and as big as how the universe was made. There are numerous topics in science such as chemistry, biology, and physics each of which have their own questions to be answered. They each have their own theories which have been developing since they began; but what is a theory? Well, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a theory is “an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain facts or events.” Theories are a way of providing one straight explanation for a wide topic. Without theories, humanity would have to keep explaining a question without having an explanation for things that relate to it. However, theories are not only in the topic of science. There are mathematical, musical, and theories for pretty much every topic in this world. Keep in mind that a theory is not a law. For example, a famous scientifically theory most people have heard of is the Big Bang Theory. This theory is an effort to explain what happened at the very beginning of our universe; however, this theory explains other theories which in turn explain other theories making an enormous chain of theories that become more specific as you go down the chain. The key word in that is it is an effort to explain something. Theories are constantly developing and never really stop unit everything has been overlooked. Another famous theory falls in the scientific topic of Biology; the Cell Theory. This theory refers to the idea that cells are the basic unit of structure of all living things, and it backs that up with three mor...
In the field of science, some may regard popular science as trivial rubbish. However, this is far from the truth. Popular science plays a key role in expanding the public’s knowledge of scientific ideas, as well as generating interest in the field of science among a wider audience beyond those involved in that particular field of study. Through popular science, new ideas and breakthroughs in one area of science can be shared with the public, as well as scientists in other subjects. As Perrault (2013) stated, popular science helps inform the reader of how knowledge is gained in a particular field of study, using the case of Maine lobsters.
The idea of a world progressing, or evolving, in science hasn’t been around forever. In fact, the Enlightenment period in the seventeen hundreds with scientists such as Isaac Newton the man who discovered gravity, Louis Pasteur the chemist who invented the vaccine to prevent rabies, Charles Darwin the father of evolution, Benjamin Franklin the first scientist to toy with the dangers and possibilities of electricity, and so many more wonderful scientists was the start of the “progress” that revolutionized our world. Of the scientists who progressed our world, few shaped modern biology the way Charles Darwin managed to. Thomas Kuhn saw the progress people like Darwin made not as truth seeking, but simply as filling in another piece of the puzzle of science, challenging the very definition of the Scientific Revolution. After reviewing Kuhn’s idea of science, Darwin appears to play a substantial role in the paradigm shift from the science of old to new. Kuhn looked at Darwin and saw science evolve much as Darwin’s organisms appeared to evolve