possible explanation vs. theory
Posted by cougar on Dec 11, 2002 at 12:35
(63.228.195.157)Re: Really, Gang, the experiment is moot..... (Sparrow)
"Scientific theories" are not normally devised to explain a single "fact" or observation. But once you've got a bunch of data, whatever your explanation or theory is with regard to the set of data, the explanation is not simply a matter of "belief" or interpretation. It is critically restricted by the actual data!But peer review or reproducibility is also an important aspect of the scientific method... for the simple reason of checking over your thinking. Once major test for any theory is, "Is there any other possible explanation?" Speculative explanations are often easy to come by, but when ALL possible alternative explanations have been dealt with and rejected, then you may be getting somewhere....