teorya

A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural or social world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses, and facts. It offers a coherent framework for understanding observed phenomena and makes testable predictions.

The word derives from the Greek theoria, meaning contemplative view, and has been used across disciplines to differentiate explanations from speculation. Theories organize knowledge, guide inquiry, and help relate disparate observations.

Theories develop through evidence gathering, experimentation, and reasoning, and they are revised or abandoned when new data contradict them. They differ from hypotheses, which are testable conjectures, and from laws, which describe consistent relationships under given conditions.

Evaluation criteria include explanatory power, predictive accuracy, coherence with existing knowledge, simplicity, and falsifiability. Good theories generate new predictions and withstand critical testing, though no theory is considered final or absolute.

Types include scientific theories (such as evolution or germ theory), mathematical theories (group theory), and social theories (functionalism, conflict theory). Theories may be broad or mid-range, and some seek to unify diverse findings under a common framework.

In practice, theories are provisional, subject to revision as evidence accumulates. They are tools for understanding rather than absolute truths, and different disciplines may value different standards for justification and interpretation.