Theory
Aha now I see
Theatres of ideas
What a miracle
What is your view of theory?! Would you say that nothing is as practical as a good theory? Or would you call on the old proverb: Action will remove the doubt that theory cannot solve.
Do you like going to the theatre to see a movie or a play? You might be surprised to learn that the words theatre and theory have the same origins.
The word theory, from the PIE root dhau (to see), is the source of Greek theatron (to see or to view), theatrum (theatre), and the English word theatre, a place where we go to ‘see’ something in order to learn or to be entertained.
Greek theatron is also the source of the Greek words theoros (spectator) and theoria (contemplation, speculation, theory). A person (i.e., a theoros) who looked thoughtfully or with intention at some thing or some experience would in turn learn or understand (theoria).
Theoria passed unchanged into Latin, came to Old French as theorie, and in the 1590s came to English as theory (conception, mental scheme). By the 1610s, theory meant the principles of a science or art; e.g., music theory in contrast to music performance.
By the 1630s, theory also meant an intelligible explanation for something which is based on observation and reasoning, a plausible explanation or belief about something.
In brief, a theory is a principle that has been formed as an attempt to explain things that have already been substantiated by data. The rigors of experimentation and control are designed to ensure that a theory is more likely to be understood as true than is a hypothesis or conjecture.1
There is another connection to PIE dhau (to see). Not only is dhau the source of the word theory, it is also the source of Greek thauma (a wonder or a miracle). Sometimes understanding and learning something can seem miraculous, an unexpected “Aha! I see. Now I get it!”
1 What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis? In contrast to a theory, a hypothesis is usually a tentative assumption or suggestion offered for investigation or analysis of a set of facts in relation to one another. Greek hypo (under) suggests that a hypothesis is the groundwork or foundation for a thesis.
And, in contrast to a theory or a hypothesis, a conjecture is an unproved assumption which, presumably may or may not be the basis for a hypothesis.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Theory. In www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022, May 29 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theory
Theatres of ideas
What a miracle
What is your view of theory?! Would you say that nothing is as practical as a good theory? Or would you call on the old proverb: Action will remove the doubt that theory cannot solve.
Do you like going to the theatre to see a movie or a play? You might be surprised to learn that the words theatre and theory have the same origins.
The word theory, from the PIE root dhau (to see), is the source of Greek theatron (to see or to view), theatrum (theatre), and the English word theatre, a place where we go to ‘see’ something in order to learn or to be entertained.
Greek theatron is also the source of the Greek words theoros (spectator) and theoria (contemplation, speculation, theory). A person (i.e., a theoros) who looked thoughtfully or with intention at some thing or some experience would in turn learn or understand (theoria).
Theoria passed unchanged into Latin, came to Old French as theorie, and in the 1590s came to English as theory (conception, mental scheme). By the 1610s, theory meant the principles of a science or art; e.g., music theory in contrast to music performance.
By the 1630s, theory also meant an intelligible explanation for something which is based on observation and reasoning, a plausible explanation or belief about something.
In brief, a theory is a principle that has been formed as an attempt to explain things that have already been substantiated by data. The rigors of experimentation and control are designed to ensure that a theory is more likely to be understood as true than is a hypothesis or conjecture.1
There is another connection to PIE dhau (to see). Not only is dhau the source of the word theory, it is also the source of Greek thauma (a wonder or a miracle). Sometimes understanding and learning something can seem miraculous, an unexpected “Aha! I see. Now I get it!”
1 What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis? In contrast to a theory, a hypothesis is usually a tentative assumption or suggestion offered for investigation or analysis of a set of facts in relation to one another. Greek hypo (under) suggests that a hypothesis is the groundwork or foundation for a thesis.
And, in contrast to a theory or a hypothesis, a conjecture is an unproved assumption which, presumably may or may not be the basis for a hypothesis.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Theory. In www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022, May 29 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theory
Published on April 29, 2024 19:06
No comments have been added yet.