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Perfect Stranger Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary
An explanation of what a /theory/ is and how it's different from a /guess/
Dear All,
I find it hard to understand the distinction between a guess and a theory. Here's a passage from a book Literary Theory - A Short Introduction.
On the one hand, we speak of the 'theory of relativity', for example, an establiished set of propositions. On the other hand, there is the most ordinary use of the word theory.
A: Why did Mary and Andy split up?
B: Well, my theory is that...
What does theory mean here? First, theory signals 'speculation'. But a theory is not the same as a guess. 'My guess is that...' would suggest that there is a right answer, which I don't happen to know. [...] A theory, by contrast, is speculation that might not be affected by what someone says, an explanation whose truth or falsity might be hard to demonstrate.
'My theory is that...' also claims to offer an explanation that is not obvious. We don't expect the speaker to continue, 'My theory is that it's because Micheal was having an affair with Samantha' That wouldn't count as a theory. It hardly requires theoretical acumen to conclude that if Michael and Samantha were having an affair, that might have had some bearing on Laura's attitude toward Michael. Interestingly, if the speaker were to say, 'My theory is that Michael was having an affair with Samantha', suddenly the existence of this affair becomes a matter of conjecture, no longer certain, and thus a possible theory.
I just don't get it...........................
I find it hard to understand the distinction between a guess and a theory. Here's a passage from a book Literary Theory - A Short Introduction.
On the one hand, we speak of the 'theory of relativity', for example, an establiished set of propositions. On the other hand, there is the most ordinary use of the word theory.
A: Why did Mary and Andy split up?
B: Well, my theory is that...
What does theory mean here? First, theory signals 'speculation'. But a theory is not the same as a guess. 'My guess is that...' would suggest that there is a right answer, which I don't happen to know. [...] A theory, by contrast, is speculation that might not be affected by what someone says, an explanation whose truth or falsity might be hard to demonstrate.
'My theory is that...' also claims to offer an explanation that is not obvious. We don't expect the speaker to continue, 'My theory is that it's because Micheal was having an affair with Samantha' That wouldn't count as a theory. It hardly requires theoretical acumen to conclude that if Michael and Samantha were having an affair, that might have had some bearing on Laura's attitude toward Michael. Interestingly, if the speaker were to say, 'My theory is that Michael was having an affair with Samantha', suddenly the existence of this affair becomes a matter of conjecture, no longer certain, and thus a possible theory.
I just don't get it...........................
Top answer
Theories have more researched or considered support than do guesses, which are often spontaneous and/or intuitive.
- Theories have more researched or considered support than do guesses, which are often spontaneous and/or intuitive.
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6 Answers
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Theories have more researched or considered support than do guesses, which are often spontaneous and/or intuitive.
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Mister MicawberTheories have more researched or considered support than do guesses, which are often spontaneous and/or intuitive.Yeah, that's what I've always thought... but I don't get this part of the author's explanation... Is it just me or his language is a bit convoluted?
'My theory is that...' also claims to offer an explanation that is
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Perfect StrangerMy theory is that it's because Micheal was having an affair with SamanthaThis amounts to a claim that the speaker knows that Michael was having an affair with Samantha. 'because' generally introduces a statement of fact.
Compare: My theory is that it's because dogs have four legs.
(It can't be a theory if it's
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CalifJimMuch of the text you quote is splitting hairs, in my opinion.The thing is a bit daunting... and convoluted... I mean, I get the gist more or less but for some reason it's hard to read it. Is it just me and my reading skills or the things is a bit complicated?
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sorry for the mistake in the last sentence... it should be or is the thing just complicated?
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Perfect StrangerIs it just me and my reading skillsNo. Even people with excellent reading skills would find it complicated.
CJ
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