What is a scientific theory?

Question

In scientific usage, a theory does not mean an unsubstantiated guess or hunch, as it often does in other contexts. A theory is a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of a related set of natural or social phenomena.

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Theory

Or do you have a different definition?

Answer 1

A scientific theory is a refutable universal statement about the way the world works. Universal, because it must be true throughout all space and time (unless the nature of the theory limits it to a smaller domain). Refutable, because it can be shown that the predictive power of any theory derives exclusively from its refutability. And, since making useful predictions is what science is all about, refutability is obviously key. From this, we can see why creationism or intelligent design are useless theories: they are not refutable, and can therefore predict nothing.

Answer 2

A religious doctrine is a theory. Certainly not a scientific theory, but a theory none the less.

No theist can truly tell you WHY God created us.

I mean, that was never touched on much.

God did to do it is about all we can postulate.

But the theory is how it all happened and even that we don't know for sure. Man wasn't there when God said LET THERE BE LIGHT.

Man's first awareness was getting up from the dust of the Earth where he was created.

Where did all the stuff before come from?

God told Adam how it happened?

That's a theory.

I mean, you atheists never harped on us about that stuff.

We came along LATER in GENESIS so WHERE did all that previous stuff come to us from?

We can only theorize.

Now, what color do you theorize Homo Erecus was?

We'd all like to know the scientific theory of WHAT SKIN COLOR man was created with by evolution.

Why does nature segregate.

I mean, there are no natural blacks found in China.

There are no whites naturally found in Africa.

You won't find one documented white person discovered in a South American rainforrest

What is the scientific theory behind segregation by skin color?

You have to eventually touch on that topic.

Can't pretend to be PC and hope it will go away.

If Africa and South America were joined at the hip once, why do Mayans and Incas look more like people from India or possibly even from the Himalian areas.

A good theory is something that explains it all.

Darwin's theory as it applies to the CREATION of man is just too complex.

The segregation asepct. Lions and tigers cohabitate Africa.

Why didn't man.

Answer 3

The term theory is occasionally stretched to refer to theoretical speculation that is currently unverifiable. Examples are string theory and various theories of everything. In common speech, theory has a far wider and less defined meaning than its use in the sciences.

I read the link, and if anyone else does, that is the last paragraph. It also says:

Commonly, a large number of more specific hypotheses may be logically bound together by just one or two theories. As a general rule for use of the term, theories tend to deal with much broader sets of universals than do hypotheses, which ordinarily deal with much more specific sets of phenomena or specific applications of a theory.

Making a Theory, a large number of Hypothesis, all strung together.

A scientific theory, in merely a good logical guess, using theory to bound together numerous unproven hypothesis.

Answer 4

Very good definition, and I don't have anything to add. But I have to respond to this statement:

"I applaud the advancements of science. I only caution people from putting too much "faith" in the science of men...especially when it contradicts the word of God!"

This is so sad. People believe the entire Bible is the literal "word of God", but it is pretty clear that as a science text, it is 2500 years out of date. When the Bible and Science contradict each other about the natural world, the default answer MUST be that modern Science is correct. Many decent Christians are smart enough and intellectually honest enough that they are comfortable admitting that the creation story in Genesis is allegory, and that other statements were clearly written to be intelligible to the people living at the time the Bible was written. The Bible can't be a science text, and cannot be used to refute modern science.

Answer 5

In this sense, a theory is a systematic and formalized expression of all previous observations that is predictive, logical and TESTABLE!.

I believe you forgot the next sentence

So sice a theory has to be testable then The Big Bang and the Evolution of humans from other Hominids arnt even theories because you cant test them.

Answer 6

Non-scientists (aka christian fundamentalists) think that evolution is "just a theory", meaning in their minds, a wild guess. Thankyou for posting this very detailed definition. Unfortunately, none of them will read it.

All theories are refutable and testable, not so blind faith. If another theory is presented that explains life as we know it better than the ToE, and there is independent evidence to support it, then scientists will happily adopt the new theory as a closer,more accurate representation of truth.

We rely on the Theory of Electromagnetism when we are using our computers to reply to these questions
I am counting on the Theory of Gravity to keep me anchored in my chair.

Answer 7

A theory is what 'da debil uses to try to trick us. All them high fallootin theories, pfft. I have THE BIBLE. It's the greatest science book ever written, because it has a story about a round vessel, and it says that the circumference was 3 times the diameter. Them silly "theory" guys call that PI or some such crazy thing, and they say it isn't 3 at all, but 3.141592.... Since the Bible says it's 3, that proves them crazy science guys are from 'da debil trying to make us all crazy!

Answer 8

But let us not also assume that a theory is something so substantiated that it is all but certain it is the correct answer. For this reason, there are often more than one theory to answer a question and if one is correct, generally speaking all of the others are incorrect...

I applaud the advancements of science. I only caution people from putting too much "faith" in the science of men...especially when it contradicts the word of God!

Answer 9

In simpler terms, a theory is a proposed explanation for a directly or indirectly observed reality, which takes into account all relevant evidence.

Answer 10

A good guess........... We are still learning........We think it might work like this........We can't prove this yet. .. We may never be able to prove this.... We may never be able to prove this because we are completely way off base even though we think we have a logically consistant model or framework we think describes a certain behavior or phenomena.
...........Basically.....NOT LAW!