How Are Theories Formed - 1783 Words

What is a Theory? We often hear someone say â€Å"That’s just a theory† or on the contrary - â€Å"In theory and in practice, it always works.† This term may indeed hold in itself a somewhat ambiguous undertone, and lead to confusion and misuse. Let’s look at the origin of the word; according to an etymology dictionary, theory derives from the Greek â€Å"theorà ©o† which means ‘to look at’, ‘to observe’. The definition tells us that one must firstly observe a phenomenon so that a theory about a certain aspect of it could form. There are essentially three forms of theories, and although they are different, all of them have one thing in common – a theory is always born with observation. The first form is theory as a belief, found in humanities†¦show more content†¦Instead a scientist would work from an already existing theory – an argument is that scientists make progress when they hold an idea in mind and then t hey go to observe and gather evidence for that idea/theory. Proponents of the deductive method assert that science makes progress through meta-theories, meaning that in place of one theory, another one will emerge. So when Galileo opposed Aristotle’s theory, he proposed that the different speeds of objects falling to the ground have nothing to do with their masses, but instead occur because of air resistance and acceleration due to a gravitational pull. He was right and Aristotle was wrong. Below is a summary of how evidence and a theory interact in their relation to each other. Evidence - theory (inductive) Theory - evidence (deductive) Meta-theory - theory - evidence (deductive) As mentioned throughout the paper, the validity of a theory and its worthiness depend primarily on the evidence and proof which is gathered after the theory has been stated. For example, the recent theory that all physical objects in the world and all living organisms are holograms is mind bending and would be a tremendous breakthrough in the world of science had the hypothesis been testable. Just like with the Theory of Evolution and Theory of Creationism, the Theory of a Hologram World,Show MoreRelatedHow is identity formed, a look at some of the theories756 Words   |  3 PagesIdentity can be defined as how I see myself and how others see me. (Questioning Identity. 2000. p7) An identity involves a sense of belonging, an individual chooses to identify with a group and actively engages in doing so, showing agency. This sense of belonging involves being the same and recognising that others are different . An individual can have multiple identities e.g. gender, supportin g a football team; all of these identities make up the individual. Structures such as genderRead MoreThe Giant Impact Theory On The Moon1221 Words   |  5 Pagesa groundbreaking new theory on how the moon was created. Their theory stated â€Å"At the time Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, other smaller planetary bodies were also growing. One of these hit earth late in Earth s growth process, blowing out rocky debris. A fraction of that debris went into orbit around the Earth and aggregated into the moon† (Hartmann Herres 1). This theory is known as the Giant Impact Theory and is the accepted theory in the scientific community of how the moon was createdRead MoreBowlby s Theory Of Attachment1255 Words   |  6 Pagesattachment it is often said that it is either down to nature or nurture. Nature is the belief that it is genetic based whilst nurture believes it is our environment and experiences. Bowlby focuses on the evolutionary argument for attachment. Bowlby’s theory can be sub categorized into 3 main components. 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I will also be discussing how natural things such as, mountainsRead MoreThe Book Brave New World 1481 Words   |  6 PagesAl dous Leonard Huxley, there are many topics covered about the world, freedom, and men. One of the topics discussed is the theory of evolution. There are many arguments presented about how the world and people evolved. There are different arguments created by creationists and evolutionists. For the creationists, everything is created by a creator such as God and that matter was formed by him to create the earth and even people on earth as well as other creatures in the universe. On the other hand, theRead MoreRelationship Between Marketing And Marketing995 Words   |  4 Pagesdata they collected found that potential stakeholders looked for personalized schools that met the need of their child. The relationship that was formed by the school and the potential student was driven by market demands. Their work points out the strain caused by the market pressures of consumers which may alter the quality of the education and the mission of the school. Theoretical Framework The emergent literature is grounded in a theoretical framework that uses Relationship Marketing as aRead MoreThe Theory Of Plate Tectonics1561 Words   |  7 PagesPlate tectonics is the theory that the Earth’s crust is divided into large and small plates that move slowly over time. The Earth’s lithosphere is made up eight major plates which include the Africa Plate, Antarctic Plate, Indo-Australian Plate, Australian Plate, Eurasian Plate, North American Plate, South American Plate, and the Pacific Plate. Earth also has dozens of smaller, minor plates (Plate Boundaries). Scientists used this theory to explain what is happening on Earth’s surface. The movementRead MoreUtut1214 Words   |  5 Pagesof the river floods. How our Moon came to existence is still under speculation. There are several possible scenarios: Fission Theory - the Earth spinning so fast during early formation that a piece broke off forming the Moon Capture Theory - the Moon formed elsewhere passed close to Earth and was captured Co-Creation Theory - the Earth and Moon formed and evolved together Collisional Ejection Theory - a large piece impacted the Earth and broke off pieces of the Earth and formed the Moon The current