[MD] The Relativist's journey

[MarshaV]

Hi Mark,

Not to worry:  theories come and go... 


Marsha 

Sent from my iPad

On Dec 9, 2011, at 5:53 PM, 118 <ununoctiums at gmail.com> wrote:

> Marsha,
> Well thanks.  I decided to reread what I had written, and I noticed
> that I seemed to change my mind in midsentence of what I was typing at
> times.  So, bear with me on that.  My brain is faster than my fingers.
> Too much coffee I guess.
> Mark
> 
> On Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 10:30 PM, MarshaV <valkyr at att.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Mark,
>> 
>> Rigorous posting?  :-)  Well, I have to confess, that in some strange way I am impressed.  It would be unfair not to admit it.
>> 
>> 
>> Marsha
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>> On Dec 8, 2011, at 12:13 PM, 118 <ununoctiums at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Hi Marsha,
>>> As I understand your question, you are asking me to provide my
>>> personal understanding of what is meant by theory.  I Let me know if I
>>> misunderstood.  I will deal with scientific theory since this is what
>>> I am most familiar with.  If instead you are asking me to provide my
>>> understanding of understanding then this cannot be done in simple
>>> terms.
>>> 
>>> My post, from where your question came from, was questioning the value
>>> of the theory of evolution.  I believe I made my case clear there, so,
>>> on to my "theory of theory".
>>> 
>>> A theory is a reification (to use your vocabulary) of a system under
>>> which data can be explained.  The theory of evolution (for example) is
>>> a reification of how we got here, what controls our here, and what we
>>> can expect beyond the here.  As with any theory, this reification
>>> provides a conceptual framework from which meaning can be provided to
>>> observations are used to provide meaning.  For a theory to be
>>> accepted, the observations must be fit within its structure.  In this
>>> way, the observations (or data) are analyzed in terms of the
>>> reification.
>>> 
>>> The data is neutral and can be used to fit into any theory available.
>>> That is, the theory will manipulate the data so as to conform to its
>>> reification.  In this way, the data does not "prove" the theory,
>>> rather the data set is structured so as to give some depth to the
>>> theory, and allow for predictability.  I will illustrate this by means
>>> of analogy.
>>> 
>>> A book is a collection of words and phrases (data).  To get meaning
>>> from a book, the words and phrases are reified as we deem appropriate.
>>> If such book allows multiple meanings (a sacred text of some sort,
>>> for example), then such reification becomes influenced by personal
>>> history and the "wiring" of the individual.  We fully accept that the
>>> meaning provided to the individual by such a book can vary depending
>>> on the individual.  Scientific theory is no different, and the data
>>> presented can be analyzed with input from personal history.  The
>>> educational process "wires" us to view scientific theory in the way we
>>> are taught, and in this way, such theory is propagated within a
>>> culture.  We are taught that the theory of evolution (for example) is
>>> the correct way to interpret the data, and that we should see the
>>> reality of our existence within that reification.
>>> 
>>> The theory of evolution was a product of its time.  I do not want to
>>> get into the history of it, but suffice it to say that Darwin did not
>>> come to his reification out of the blue.  There were social and
>>> intellectual pressures which provided him his reification.  I could
>>> also say that there were both life and inorganic level influences as
>>> well since the levels cannot be isolated as inherent (again using your
>>> vocabulary).  By claiming that such a theory was a product of its
>>> time, the validity of the "rightness" of this theory comes into
>>> question, and one can then put the theory of evolution, as it
>>> currently stands, as a personal choice on what to believe about one's
>>> own personal reality.  If the theory of evolution matches your
>>> experience in the world, then it is useful to you.
>>> 
>>> Theories come and go, and the value of a theory lies in the personal.
>>> If one chooses to view existence as one which necessarily includes the
>>> "struggle for life", or as an impersonal world where "what is" is
>>> governed by the "laws" of chance, then the theory of evolution will
>>> indeed have high value.  In my opinion (of course) It puts one within
>>> a framework where he/she becomes a victim of circumstances, and where
>>> one has little control over one's overall actions.
>>> 
>>> Snip...