What is a good theory in science?

How does science work? And what's all this about quantum mechanics?

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thedoc
Posts: 6473
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:18 pm

Re: What is a good theory in science?

Post by thedoc »

Philosophy Explorer wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 11:28 am
uwot wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 10:55 am
Philosophy Explorer wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 10:19 amStill my prerogative.
Of course. And as someone with experience of telemarketing, I'm sure you are used to people hanging up on you.
Just means I can devote my time towards those who make better prospects (btw few hung up on me).

PhilX 🇺🇸
You didn't call me. Whether I hang up right away or not depends on my mood, sometimes I will let the telemarketer talk for awhile before I say I'm not interested, other times I just hang up right away after I figure out what the call is about. It's funny but when I was in business I would get calls from people who wanted to advise me on how to invest my excess cash, as if I had any excess cash. I asked one caller if they had an investment that could return 50% in a year, after the caller stumbled a bit I told them I had one and didn't need their advice.
thedoc
Posts: 6473
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:18 pm

Re: What is a good theory in science?

Post by thedoc »

Other times I would get calls from a seller who claimed to have a large number of pens with my business name and phone number ready to ship, all I had to do was agree to their terms. It was all BS as no printer would pre-print the pens without a firm order. My wife worked in the printing business and I had a source for anything printed that I wanted, and I know the details of the business.
Philosophy Explorer
Posts: 5621
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:39 am

Re: What is a good theory in science?

Post by Philosophy Explorer »

thedoc wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 3:35 pm
Philosophy Explorer wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 11:28 am
uwot wrote: Tue May 01, 2018 10:55 am Of course. And as someone with experience of telemarketing, I'm sure you are used to people hanging up on you.
Just means I can devote my time towards those who make better prospects (btw few hung up on me).

PhilX 🇺🇸
You didn't call me. Whether I hang up right away or not depends on my mood, sometimes I will let the telemarketer talk for awhile before I say I'm not interested, other times I just hang up right away after I figure out what the call is about. It's funny but when I was in business I would get calls from people who wanted to advise me on how to invest my excess cash, as if I had any excess cash. I asked one caller if they had an investment that could return 50% in a year, after the caller stumbled a bit I told them I had one and didn't need their advice.
Well doc you remind me of this story. Had this lady I called up to sell the Star Ledger newspaper subscription. After I announced myself, she recognized where I was from and started saying in a playful voice "Well I don't think..." where she was about to turn me down (before I got to the offer). I simply responded "Oh oh!" which cracked her up. Then she admitted she was thinking of subscribing to the paper for a long time. She then asked me what the offer was. I gave her the offer which she agreed to and that was that.

PhilX 🇺🇸
Philosophy Explorer
Posts: 5621
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:39 am

Re: What is a good theory in science?

Post by Philosophy Explorer »

uwot said:

"It's General Relativity that can't be combined with QM, because as a classical theory, it assumes that spacetime is smooth. According to QM, nothing is smooth. Most of the alternative theories listed above are inspired by this fact, or at least seek to address it."

QM is applied to the small while GR is applied to the big.
Why can't the reverse happen? It's like saying we actually live in two universes that coincide (the universe of the small and the universe of the big). Is it also possible that QM may be a better description than GR or vice-versa?

PhilX 🇺🇸
Beauty
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 3:08 pm

Re: What is a good theory in science?

Post by Beauty »

Philosophy Explorer wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 6:28 am What characteristics does it have? Should it account for everything? How do we know that it does account for everything? Or is it perpetually fluid and how do we know that?

Which theory is most reliable in science (and how do we know that?)

PhilX 🇺🇸
For what the theory is to be, it should explain that fully and be applicable.
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