23. Define and explain the third characteristic of a good theory.

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One of the most important characteristics of a theory is its power, or relevance. A powerful theory is theory that is relevant to an extensive range of experiences, whereas theories that concern limited occurrences would not be dubbed “powerful”. For example, Newton’s Three Laws of Motion are extremely relevant in real life and cover almost all phenomena, so they would be considered powerful. However, the theory that you will gain bad luck if you see a black cat, while certainly false, also does not apply to all situations. Therefore, it would not be powerful. To put it simply, if a theory is pertinent to many situations, then the more powerful, and valuable, the theory.

theory-wordle.png

Source: Origins Manual pg. 7

  • Photo-->_http://www.permanentculturenow.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/theory-wordle.png (underscore not included)
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