Questions tagged [theory]
The theory tag has no usage guidance.
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What types of observations necessitate postulating more complex theories without violating Occam's Razor?
This question is inspired by the related question How could both Occam's Razor and complex theories like Quantum Mechanics be correct at the same time?. The accepted answer reasonably argues:
The ...
user66156
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Is it possible to find the opposite of any given "thing"
Premise 1: A "thing" is something that can be described with properties (this is just for clarification it includes everything there is)
Premise 2: There are no two "things" with ...
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If there was a theory that explains every event, would it be valid to ask why it is the way it is?
Suppose we had a theory of everything that explained every single contingency within the universe. Or in other words, it explained why one alternative occurs instead of another within the universe. ...
user74135
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What information should be turned into theory? [closed]
I want to have a theory-based approach to knowledge.
I know that all a priori judgments alone should not be turned into theories since their truth is independent of experience and empirical evidence, ...
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Model vs Theory: Meanings reversed in Alfred Tarski vs Julian Jaynes?
In my reading of Alfred Tarski's model theory, a theory is a formal system whose sentences are without inherent meaning, but which becomes meaningful (e.g. having truth values) only after a model ...
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Hypothesis generation & the structure of scientific theories: how (exactly) do theories constrain hypothesis generation?
How (exactly) do theories constrain the generation of various, potential hypotheses to explain something? In particular, what are the different implications of different accounts of the structure of ...
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How does one “measure” the plausibility of theories with no direct evidence?
Let’s take the event of a leaf falling down from a branch. Currently, we have a fully naturalistic explanation for how this happens.
Theoretically though, one can come up with an infinite number of ...
user62907
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On thermodynamics being fundamental?
Are there philosophers who argue that thermodynamics (where time does have a direction) is the more fundamental theory as opposed to normal Newtonian mechanics and it's extensions?
For example, I can ...
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Is there a general theory of intelligence and design that would allow us to detect the presence of design in an object based solely on its properties?
There are many candidates for what could be considered to be an intelligent agent. Examples include humans, animals, aliens, AI (e.g. ChatGPT?), and supernaturalists would probably add angels, deities,...
user66156
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Isn't every theory or model wrong?
I'm currently in class 12 and I was about different models of atoms in my school chemistry book and there were like 3 or 4 atomic models Rutherford's model, Thompson's model , Bohr's model then ...
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Are conspiracy theories evil? [closed]
Suppose that everyone I encounter is conspiring to keep the truth of something (mostly for money) from me by a mixture of deception, lies and perhaps outright stupidity/gullibility (that is soon ...
user65071
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What is (or should be) the logical structure of a demarcation argument?
I am working on a scholarly article that attempts to define "theory" in my scholarly field, which is a social science. (My field is information systems, mainly a hybrid between information ...
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What is Meant by a Pre-Theoretic Notion?
I don't quite understand the explanation given on Wikipedia for Pre-theoretic belief.
It is often assumed, rightly or wrongly, that language depends on mental concepts, and that certain concepts are ...
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The Principle of Least Action as a Theory of Everything?
Theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder views the Principle of Least Action as " the closest thing we have to a theory of everything." It works in classical physics as well as in quantum ...
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Devising mathematical or quantitative theories of meaning
Around 1948, the mathematician and electrical engineer Claude E. Shannon presented work that would eventually lead to information theory. A mathematical theory based on uncertainty and probability, ...
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