Theme 3 was significantly harder to discuss at the seminar, seeing as all individual members had used different papers for their exercise and thus stumbled upon different sets of problems. Seeing as it was literally described in one of the articles we read, in general it seemed rather clear to most what a theory is not - i.e. data, references, hypotheses and so on. Still, making the step from a mere summary of these facts to an actual theory based on them was a bit more abstract, and thus the source of discussion.
Most confusing, to my mind, was the distinction between hypotheses and theory, seeing as they are most closely related. A hypothesis refers to an attempt to explain phenomena, which is mostly a guessed based on that which is observed or experienced. Someone who looked at the horizon, for example, might have deducted that the Earth is flat, merely because no rounding can be seen with the bare eye. A theory uses reasoning, scientific method and knowledge beyond the mere observation to prove or disprove a hypothesis. The hypothesis that the Earth is flat could thus be disproved by, for example, a theory based on astrological knowledge on the form of other planets; observations from space; or the mere fact that a ship which sails east comes back from the west, rather than falling off the edge of the Earth.
5 comments:
Hi Julian,
You have written a compact summary of this week's topic and included important key concepts like the difference between theory and hypothesis and how they come together. I would have liked to read more about you personal view on the selection of your paper and critical reflection here and in your preblog.
I like your illustrational approach to describe concepts.
Theme 3 at the beginning seemed easier than the previous themes, since it was more straight forward and not talking about philosophical opinions and reasoning. But, it was proved not so easy to define what theory is. I agree with you that it was easier to understand what theory is not. Sometimes it works to define something by defining what it is not. After the lecture and the seminar things are clearer. It was interesting to read your reflections that especially focused on the difference between theory and hypothesis. The example that you have used illustrated both of them very well. It is also an example that could be use to describe paradigm shifts.
I totally agree with, I found it rally difficult also to start the discussion in our seminar . You have a good point, it is quite easier to say what a theory is not than what it is.
I guess a theory is an attempt to explain a phenomenon and hypothesis could be just a guess. I like that you text is concise and you have summarized the important in your text. Cheers!
This was a good summary of some issues I also experienced with this theme. In other themes there were different viewpoints to discuss, but here it was mostly a matter of explaining and summarising the concepts.
When not even the "elite" of the research field can agree on what theory actually is in one simple phrase then I can't see how we are supposed to come up with a definition in less than a week's time. I do agree on most things you review in your post though.
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