What is a testable form of a theory?

Answer 1

Answer 1

A testable theory is one that can be set up to use the scientific method. In science we test for validity through verification as well as falsification, because it is impossible to conclusively verify something that can't also be falsified.

You form a hypothesis; you form a series of tests in the physical world to show if this hypothesis is true. You form many more tests to see if it is likely to be false.

If the test falsifies the hypothesis, you either revise it, or reject it in its entirety. If there is use of faith or personal belief then it is not science.

You publish your papers with the failure* or the success* of this testing or if it is just a research paper to see what is actually found, which may or may not have anything to do with the original hypothesis.

There is a formal outlined structure for using the scientific method and it must always include only physical evidence, detail the assumptions made, explain the methods used to obtain the observational data, the methods used to infer the conclusions from the data, and the methods used to both verify and attempt to falsify the conclusion.

When "science" uses opinions on evidence and ideology of what they think they see but is unverifiable that is not science. It is pseudo science.

To form a theory you must have independently verifiable physical evidence that consists of repeatable observations and never fails to show the same thing. Opinions on what people think they see is not science. That is where myths come from.

It is important to publish falsifications of standing hypotheses as well so the failed hypothesis is not perpetuated. The road to success is filled with failures. Knowing something doesn't work is important. It is only when the same results are observed again and again that you have reliable data. A good hypothesis must yield absolutely clear repeatable results when applied to the same dataset, and the same results can be achieved by any other scientist anywhere in the world using the methods detailed in the paper.

Answer 2

An explanatory claim or model is testable if it is both falsifiable as well as verifiable against observation. This requires that it be formulated in such a way as to yield specific expectations regarding observations in the here and now.

As an example, take common ancestry. Common ancestry would logically result in a pattern of nested hierarchies in palaeontology, zoology and comparative genomics. Any explanation for the variety and divergence of modern forms that did not include common descent would logically not be expected to result in nested hierarchies. If common descent were true, one should therefore logically expect to find such patterns, while assuming its falsehood would lead one to expect the absence of such patterns, making the presence or absence of such patterns a strong test for the hypothesis of common descent.

Answer 2

A theory must be testable in the sense that it could be proven false (falsifiability criteria), but it does not need to be tentative.

A hypothesis is tentative.