Mind 132 (v):98-103 (
2022)
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Abstract
Throughout the history, whenever humans encounter a phenomenon for which there was no explanation,
a theory was proposed for it. Of course, not necessarily all the theories were purely scientific and many of
them were non-scientific, pseudo- scientific, or at best were only slightly influenced by science. But one
thing was in common among them: they all were trying to provide as deeper as possible explanations
about how the universe works. Although today and in the modern era the exact meaning of theory has
changed comparatively, still they must be such that can be tested through scientific procedures in order to
confirm or reject. Nevertheless, still sometimes in a common belief, the meaning of "theory" is unprovable
or at least unproven conjecture, and surprisingly sometimes confused with hypothesis. Scientific laws are
descriptive reports - or theories - that express and predict a range of natural phenomena and explain how
they work.
Any scientific discourse is carried out in three levels: hypothesis, theory, and law. A hypothesis, is a
testable logical conjecture to explain the phenomena we observe in the universe. A hypothesis usually
comes with no practical support, or at least not been proven yet. The hypothesis can only be tested
through trial and error and tries to offer explanation that provides a reasonable platform for further
studies and usually it is the first step in solving a problem or describing a phenomenon. A theory
however, is a logical statement about a phenomenon that is derived from rational thinking and is often
associated with processes such as observation, study or research and provides standards in such a way
that scientific tests can confirm - or reject. A theory used in describing what is usually to happen with the
implication that it doesn’t still a fact. Yet a scientific law is a descriptive reports - or theory - that previses
a range of natural phenomena and explains how they function. Scientific laws are descriptive summaries
of a large set of facts that are tested by scientific evidences and after fact-checking based on their potential
ability for measuring future experiences.
So it can be said that every theory was first a hypothesis and has the potential to become a law to come. It
can also be said that any theory is valid as long as it is not violated by a more conclusive one.