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Perhaps I'm being overly pedantic, but "theories" are proved. When I read "theory" I assume that it has been proved. Otherwise, people should really start using
by rambojazz 5y ago
Perhaps I'm being overly pedantic, but "theories" are proved. When I read "theory" I assume that it has been proved. Otherwise, people should really start using "hypothesis" or "conjecture" more often.
- TameAntelope 5y agoIs that true? I thought theories were falsifiable explanations of a series of laws, observations, and hypotheses that could be predictive of as-yet undiscovered observations. "Proven" supposes a conclusion, of which we never really get with a theory.
- benrbray 5y agoYou're thinking of "theorem".
- nathias 5y agoThat's a wrong assumption. Think of theories as frameworks of explanations that can be tested on evidence to confirm or falsify them, if they are scientific.
- fighterpilot 5y agoTheories can never be proven, we can only approach certainty as more evidence arrives. That's the nature of empirical pursuits. Proof only exists in the world of deductive pursuits.
- darkerside 5y agohttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theory https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theory