Theoretical

۲۸ طرفدار

۲۳ انتشار • فعال از ۲۰۱۵

A theory is, in general, a set of propositions or ideas about something, developed in a variety of ways through any sort of reasoning. This includes informal folk psychological theories of why someone behaves the way they do, scientific theories that attempt to explain some phenomenon, philosophical theories (for example of politics or the nature of reality), and a range of other uses. Not all theories are equal and they may, for example, be compared in terms of how well they explain a phenomenon and the strength of evidence for and against them. When applied to intellectual or academic situations, it is considered a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, and research. Theories can be scientific, falling within the realm of empirical and testable knowledge, or they may belong to non-scientific disciplines, such as art or philosophy. In some cases, theories may exist independently of any formal discipline. In modern science, the term "theory" refers to scientific theories, a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature, made in a way consistent with the scientific method, and fulfilling the criteria required by modern science. Such theories are described in such a way that scientific tests should be able to provide empirical support for it, or empirical contradiction ("falsify") of it. Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge, in contrast to more common uses of the word "theory" that imply that something is unproven or speculative (which in formal terms is better characterized by the word hypothesis). Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses, which are individual empirically testable conjectures, and from scientific laws, which are descriptive accounts of the way nature behaves under certain conditions.