The Chameleon of Theory Defined—or Not
”A theory is a way of making sense of a disturbing situation"
Kaplan (1964)”Theories represent tentative solutions to problems."
“A theory is a generalization about a phenomenon, an explanation of how or why something occurs. Indeed, any statements that explain what is measured or described--any general statements about cause or effect--are theory based, at least implicitly.
A generalization about a phenomenon that explains how or why the phenomenon occurs."
Frey, Botan, Friedman, & Kreps (1991)“The power of a theory is its ability to connect events into a unified web.
What gives a theory its power is not the declarative statements it consists of but rather the relationship among those statements. It is the form of the relationship among statements rather than the individual statements themselves that distinguish between theory and description."
Hawes (1975)
Theory Defined. . .Again!
- ”A system of generalizable statements that are logically linked together to understand or predict human phenomena."
Kim (1995)
FUNCTIONS OF THEORY
To DESCRIBE, EXPLAIN, PREDICT, or CONTROL human phenomena in a variety of contexts.
*RESEARCH METHODS Defined
- ”Research methods are the particular strategies researchers use to collect the evidence necessary for building and testing theories"
Frey, Botan, Friedman, & Kreps (1991)
The above statements were some of my attempts at finding the ‘definition’ of the word, theory. To say it was confusing is an understatement and then I realized that ‘confusing’ represents most of what’s pushed forth by the ‘modern’ 500 year-old ‘theory’ system.
Because ‘theory’ comprises most all modern science which is not observable, or that which we cannot discern with our own senses. Theory appears to me as an agreed upon ‘hunch’ that fits a desired scenario that a group wishes to place within an identifiable container/explanation of sorts. The problem I have with that is that it has traditionally been taught as fact.
Here is a short but important list of traditional theories/hunches that are currently taught/accepted as fact, but have never been completely proven to the general public.
The theory of relativity
The theory of evolution and natural selection, which effectively eliminated intelligent design.
The theory of gravity
The big bang theory —all we are a part of came from a massive explosion.
In his book, The Intelligent Universe, Fred Hoyle had this to say about the big bang theory:
“A junkyard contains all the bits and pieces of a Boeing 747, dismembered and in disarray. A whirlwind happens to blow through the yard. What is the chance that after its passage a fully assembled 747, ready to fly, will be found standing there? So small as to be negligible, even if a tornado were to blow through enough junkyards to fill the whole Universe.” (p.19)
The heliocentric, or Copernican theory of ‘globe’ earth
Quantum theory
These are only a few of the more widely accepted theories that have been passed off as fact for generations now. And in the grand scheme, truth and fact will dominate theory at every turn, that is if the prevailing populations demand it. I’d say we’re currently at that crossroads and to build a foundation of education formed on hunches is borderline criminal, but then again, when you control those institutions, you can push whatever you like.
Some might argue that we’ve been doing just fine the way things are, but complacency and apathy have served the status quo, not the public at large.
Theories have served the rulers/corporations and given the public the idea that if something is ‘legal’ than it must be right.
But then as usual, you’d have to ask yourselves, who invented the ‘legal system’? Because, like theories, codes/statutes/laws are ideas that have come from other men’s minds for the purpose of control, but that’s another topic for another day.
My purpose here is not to trash theories, but to wonder about their purpose. They began as ideas and seemed important enough to put together as announcements of fact (which they are not).
The public has the right to know. We have the right to truth, and if we have to find it out for ourselves than the road should never be blocked by others that have made themselves keepers or controllers of that information.
Theories have no place when it comes to intelligent design, theory may be the beginning, the spawning of an idea, but the finished product will always have a proven truth behind it, always. And so, what we’ve ended up with, or, are beginning with, depending upon how you view this, is a decision that must be made.
In other words, a demand of accountability, and unfortunately it won’t come through the sources typically afforded us.
Your ‘news’ stories won’t give it to you, or the corporate talking heads (politicians), your state, local, and federal governments are all in place to thwart accountability and maintain their own status of control. That’s just the way it is until we say it isn’t.
Again, all you need to do is pose the question to yourself, question the supposed authority and it will probably seem uncomfortable to rock the boat, even thinking about it. But your active stimulation, your thought processes moving against the status quo have enormous effect, in fact it’s proven itself many times, which is principally what the ‘education’ process is for, only it’s been working against us, it’s given us the subservient mindset, to respect and bow to authority even when it’s wrong or detrimental to our well being.
Theory is just that, it’s a set of decisions made that benefit those forming them. Ideas that have manifested from the minds of manipulators and if you think I’m being unreasonable then just ask yourself how this world is better off in the state it’s currently in. Because we’ve gotten here based on the theories that we need government and science where it is, a place where the ‘carrot of real prosperity’ is always just on the other side of attainable.
There are just the small matters of terror and terrorists, poverty and war, political manipulations, sickness/infection, financial upheaval, racial separation/tension, and all the other manmade deceptions. We currently have generations of solid proof/evidence that the state of affairs is a complete failure. Around the world.
Even theory would tell us this will never change, but theory being the flexible flavor of the manipulators will always incarnate according to its designer’s whims.
Every paradigm shift has been effected/designed by those in control, until now— the one thing they’ve always been fearful of is a population that has proof they’re being lied to on a regular basis. That’s where we are right now. We’re living in a matrix of false reality being spun as your only option. The truth is, we have always handed control over to the ones we outnumber by more than a thousand to one. This isn’t about killing the oppressors, fighting/protesting in the streets, this is about non participation in a failed farm system. One that has harnessed and subjugated the true creators of everything beautiful in this world.
This could be misconstrued as my own ‘theory’, but unfortunately, it’s based on a track record of failure. Politics has absolutely no place in the realm of truth and accountability. We can create a better world, it’s what we were born to do.