Why are Scientific Theories so Useful?

Ever wondered why scientific theories are so useful?

Hint: It’s not only because they explain why things are the way they are in nature.

Two of the most important parts of science are the generalizations that we can make and the postulates that form the bedrock of our theoretical understanding.

Consider the following analogy.

Imagine building a house.

To do so you need to have a base layer for the house- the ground itself.

And just as the foundation supports the entire structure of a house, it sets the stage for everything that comes above it. Without a strong foundation, the house is prone to collapse or severe damage.

In science postulates are the base layer.

They allow us to

1) Start

2) Build up new knowledge and predictions

Here’s an interesting way to visualize the effect they deliver.

Think about it. Imagine how much more difficult it would be to do science if we couldn’t establish some kind of first principles to then do deductive work on.

This is something we see in scientific theories we are familiar with.

Below are some examples.

• Classical Mechanics

• Special and General Relativity

• Quantum Mechanics

• Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection

• Hodgkin Huxley Model in Neuroscience

• Mendel’s laws of inheritance

• Dalton’s Atomic Theory

etc…

Let’s talk about Einstein’s theory of special relativity as our paradigm.

Experiments:

- Minkowski Experiment (No Aether)

- Reference Frames in Classical Mechanics

Postulates:

1. The speed of light is constant irrespective of the reference frame

2. The laws of physics hold in all inertial frames of reference

These two simple postulates can be extrapolated into a lot of interesting results.

Note: This diagram is not all-inclusive and is meant to just give us an idea of how things work.

As you can see, if we combine our postulates with other known physics laws we get some really interesting results. And that’s the point, we can start with fundamental principles and draw further conclusions from there- this is one of the big things that makes scientific theories useful.

But that isn’t it.

Generalizations are just as important.

Generalizations are derived from empirical observations and experiments. They allow us to apply these foundational principles to a wide array of situations. Doing so enables scientists to predict outcomes, identify patterns in nature, and make informed hypotheses about the unknown.

Without these two features, we would have to do a combination of trial and error and also keep track of what specific experiments were done at all times- A living nightmare.

It’s this combination of solid postulates and flexible generalizations that gives scientific theories much of their power and utility.

The next time you’re learning — or doing science, try to keep this in mind and you’ll find the material much more logical and intuitive.

Until next time. And Happy New Year 2024.