I agree, in the end, for the individual, this is the only truth there is. Fortunately, we have universal senses that intertwine with other "realities" of other individuals. This matrix of individual "realities" is known as the physical universe.
The ordinances of human nature and the employment of the five senses are similar, sometimes identical. This is a universal compass, because of the similarities of the senses, that causes the physical universe to appear similar, if not the same, to everyone that participates in the collective equitable matrix.
The word "theory" comes into play as suggestive material to help explain and examine scientific phenomena. Originally, the word theory was used to describe suggestive ideas to assist in explanation through examining the facts. through observations the theory progresses to fact if substantial evidence is found to prove every aspect of the theory. source;
http://www.hydroponicsearch.com/...database-!/strategy-exact
Since then, the word has, apparently, branched out to incorporate other degrees of speculation as well, for the sake of science.
My good friend, coyote, offered up this definition from nasa.
coyote writes:
Theory: a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses. Theories do not grow up to be laws. Theories explain laws.
Theory: A scientifically testable general principle or body of principles offered to explain observed phenomena. In scientific usage, a theory is distinct from a hypothesis (or conjecture) that is proposed to explain previously observed phenomena. For a hypothesis to rise to the level of theory, it must predict the existence of new phenomena that are subsequently observed. A theory can be overturned if new phenomena are observed that directly contradict the theory. Source
When a scientific theory has a long history of being supported by verifiable evidence, it is appropriate to speak about "acceptance" of (not "belief" in) the theory; or we can say that we have "confidence" (not "faith") in the theory. It is the dependence on verifiable data and the capability of testing that distinguish scientific theories from matters of faith.
Wikipedia chimes in a correlating 'theory' on what a 'theory' is.
wiki writes:
The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. Definitively speaking, a theory is the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another.[1] Additionally, in contrast with a theorem the statement of the theory is generally accepted only in some tentative fashion as opposed to regarding it as having been conclusively established. This may merely indicate, as it does in the sciences, that the theory was arrived at using potentially faulty inferences (scientific induction) as opposed to the necessary inferences used in mathematical proofs. In these cases the term theory does not suggest a low confidence in the claim and many uses of the term in the sciences require just the opposite.
Theory - Wikipedia
and from Websters edition from 1913, to illustrate the contrast.
1913 Websters writes:
Theory \The"o*ry\, n.; pl. {Theories}. orie, L.
theoria, Gr. ? a beholding, spectacle, contemplation,
speculation, fr. ? a spectator, ? to see, view. See
{Theater}.
1. A doctrine, or scheme of things, which terminates in
speculation or contemplation, without a view to practice;
hypothesis; speculation.
2. An exposition of the general or abstract principles of any
science; as, the theory of music.
3. The science, as distinguished from the art; as, the theory
and practice of medicine.
4. The philosophical explanation of phenomena, either
physical or moral; as, Lavoisier's theory of combustion;
Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments.
Syn: Hypothesis, speculation.
Usage: {Theory}, {Hypothesis}. A theory is a scheme of the
relations subsisting between the parts of a systematic
whole; an hypothesis is a tentative conjecture
respecting a cause of phenomena.
source;
http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=th...
As is abundantly obvious, theory can, theoretically, mean what you want it to mean to be able to further interests, as the term has changed meaning, substantially, to outlaw initial theoretical values.
Most would say, a theory is, universally, an attempt to explain phenomena with examinations of progressive, objective observations and explanatory support. By acclamation of the very word would require a stance of manifested explanation in observation to further support, without regard to interest.
"What is a theory?" is the best place to discuss what theories are. I apply theory the way I understand it.
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