The purpose of a theory
The purpose of a theory
Theology is about theo, or god. Theology is to glorify god. More precisely, theology is to glorify the group of people who are associated with a particular god.
Theory is about theo, or god, as well. Theory, especially scientific theory, is not supposed to glorify god. It is supposed to seek and represent truth. Is it true?
We will first have a look at social sciences. Among all subjects in social sciences, economics has the strongest claim to be in science proper. Is the main goal of economics to seek truth?
In the preface of General Theory, Keynes wrote,
(T)he deep divergences of opinion between fellow economists … have for the time being almost destroyed the practical influence of economic theory, and will, until they are resolved, continue to do so. (Keynes, 1936, vi)
He mainly concerned about restoring the influence of economic theory, not seeking truth. To seek truth, he would be content to let discussion take its course, especially when there exists deep divergence of opinion between fellow economists. Instead, to restore the influence of economic theory, he needed to present a unified front. He had to form a monopoly of ideas. To achieve this goal, he abandoned his early ideas and aligned himself to the orthodox economic theory he once denounced vehemently.
For if orthodox economics is at fault, the error is to be found not in the superstructure, which has been erected with great care for logical consistency, but in a lack of clearness and of generality in the premisses. (Keynes, 1936, v)
For a theory to be correct, it has to be consistent with logic. But more importantly, it has to be consistent with reality. Orthodox economics is rarely consistent with reality. Instead, reality is imperfect when orthodox theory is inconsistent with reality. From the lens of the orthodox economics, reality is full of “imperfection”. But Keynes conveniently ignored that orthodox economics was rarely consistent with reality.
The purpose of economic theory is not to seek truth, but to gain influence. This is not hard to understand. Any activities, including academic activities, will flourish if they gain positive returns. Otherwise, they will wither away, whether or not they represent truth or seek truth.
Many people do not regard economics as a science. What about natural science? They must represent truth. We will discuss physics, the purest natural science.
Relativity is one of the most important foundations of modern physics. Relativity is an extension of the theory of ether. In the theory of ether, the speed of light is constant. Michelson Morley experiment was conducted to confirm the theory of ether. The experimental result, however, did not confirm the expectation. To rescue the theory, Lorentz transformation was introduced. Relativity theory was developed to codify Lorentz transformation.
To preserve the constancy, or absoluteness, of the speed of light, space and time become relative, hence the theory of relativity. Under the theory of relativity, time dilates and length contracts when systems move against each other. But there is an intrinsic symmetry behind these concepts. If you find my time slow down, I also find your time slow down. This is the twin paradox.
Authorities repeatedly assure us that the paradox has been resolved. However, with closer scrutiny, these assurances aren’t very reassuring. A representative statement about twin paradox looks like this,
This paradox is discussed in many books but solved in very few. When the paradox is addressed, it is usually done so only briefly, by saying that the one who feels the acceleration is the one who is younger at the end of trip. Hence, the brother who travels to the star is younger. While the result is correct, the explanation is misleading. (Lasky, 2003)
The authorities conceded that “the explanation is misleading”. At the same time, they insisted “the result is correct”. Relativity is not a new theory. It is over a century old. Relativity is not an obscure theory. It is the very foundation of modern physics. After over a century, no one could produce a single explanation that is not misleading. Couldn’t we question if “the result is correct”? (Chen, 2024)
Yet those who raise the question are marginalized. They become outcast. If you insist on communicate your ideas, you get excommunicated. On issues of fundamental importance, the authorities are not interested in truth. They are more interested in glorifying themselves. At the fundamental level, both theology and theory are there to glorify the associated people.
In media, Einstein is often portrayed as a sage and saint. A recent example is the movie Oppenheimer. In media, those who blaspheme relativity and Einstein are often portrayed as evils, those who are loyal to relativity and Einstein are hailed as heroes. The opening scene of the recently released Three Body Problem from Netflix reinforces such an image. But the mainstream media rarely mention that Einstein was a fellow traveller of those supposed evils. (Litten, 1991) In such suffocating environment, free exchange of ideas becomes nearly impossible, even outside academic circle.
References
Chen, J. 2024, A New Theory about the Movement of Light, working paper
Lasky, R. C. 2003, How does relativity theory resolve the twin paradox, Scientific American, March 17, 2003
Litten F.S. 1991, Einstein and the Noulens Affair, British Journal for the History of Science, Vol 24, No 4, p. 465-6