Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 39, No. 187.
        Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
                      Hosted by DH-Cologne
                       www.dhhumanist.org
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        Date: 2025-10-26 07:54:49+00:00
        From: Jan Rybicki <jkrybicki@gmail.com>
        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 39.185: theory and fashionable dogma

It's interesting how, when we were all very young, "theory" entered humanists'
professional dictionary and very quickly it was much less cool to engage in the
practice, or experimentation (depending which antonym of theory one prefers), of
reading and interpreting. In the immortal words of David Lodge put into the
mouth of one of his favorite characters:

“Theory?” Philip Swallow’s ears quivered under their silvery thatch, a few
places further up the table. “That word brings out the Goering in me. When I
hear it I reach for my revolver.”

Those were the days...!
Nostalgically,
Jan


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________________________________
From: Humanist <humanist@dhhumanist.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2025 8:34:07 AM
To: jkrybicki@gmail.com <jkrybicki@gmail.com>
Subject: [Humanist] 39.185: theory and fashionable dogma


              Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 39, No. 185.
        Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
                      Hosted by DH-Cologne
                       www.dhhumanist.org<http://www.dhhumanist.org>
                Submit to: humanist@dhhumanist.org




        Date: 2025-10-25 17:47:15+00:00
        From: James Rovira <jamesrovira@gmail.com>
        Subject: Re: [Humanist] 39.182: theory and fashionable dogma

Has anyone defined "theory" yet? My working definition is that a theory is
an unobservable explanation of or the positing of a cause of observable
phenomena: e.g., the Big Bang theory, the theory of evolution, Freud's
theory of the mind, etc. By this definition, experience always comes first.
No theory exists prior to experience. Reflection on or development of the
theory, therefore, is only as valid as knowledge of the experience. The
more data points the theory covers, the more valid the theory, but you need
many data points before you can begin to develop the theory or really
consider it. Everyone can and will always have an opinion, of course, but I
think this way of thinking gives us some criteria by which we can evaluate
those opinions.

Jim R



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