Section 5 SCIENTIFIC THEORY



When scientists establish a number of empirical laws which cohere over a broad spectrum of objects of study, they have what they call a scientific theory. This is so much as to say that science has come to describe some portion of reality. This is not to say that some characteristics of the earlier stages of development do not remain. More often than not the theoretical entities being described maintain their hypothetical and somewhat ethereal nature. Furthermore, any scientists wanting to attack the theory have to direct their efforts toward dismantling one or more of its empirical laws.

Multiple interpretations.  
Some of the power behind a scientific theory is its formal structure, which by its nature continues to admit analogous interpretations. In the physics developed by Sir Isaac Newton, Knight (1642-1727), the movement of invisible molecules of air in three dimensions is analogous to the movement of macroscopic balls on a 2-dimensional billiard table. Scientists can turn to an existing theory to explain additional phenomena by using analogy. The more phenomena that are explainable, the more powerful and attractive the theory becomes.

Using theory in genealogy

As presented in the previous sections, the central theoretical basis of genealogy lies in the process of familial reconstitution. Figure 23 outlines the elements basic to this process. Beginning with a family the investigator uses certain principles and laws (the theory) to posit a possible source of additional relevant information. Through instrumentation (the source) and experimentation (searching it out), the researcher discovers an actual source fitting the criteria posited. By using the theory again the investigator is able to establish the evidence as justifying an extension to the family and pedigree.

Predictive power.  
It is clear that some of the power behind a scientific theory is attributable to its usefulness in predicting previously unobserved events. A scientific theory states relationships that should hold for specific instances. With the observation of such an instance the investigator may conclude that the theoretical relationship holds. The theory may also, because of its formal structure, bring with it certain logical consequences that the investigator could not fully appreciate except in that context. One must keep in mind that while this may be the power of the theory, it is also a weakness. The theory cannot be stronger than the laws and observations upon which it is based. Keep in mind that new observations will always be made, some of which may refute the theory to some extent.