The Structure and Content of a Physical Theory

Abstract

In analyzing a physical theory we may distinguish at least four aspects of it : the background, the form, the content, and the evidence — if any. By the background of a theory we mean the set of its presuppositions. By the form or structure, the logico-mathematical formalism quite apart from its reference to physical objects or its empirical support. By the content or meaning, that to which the theory is supposed to refer, quite apart from either its form or the way the theory is put to the test. And the evidence a theory enjoys is of course the set of its empirical and theoretical supporters. In this chapter an analysis of the internal structure and the external reference of a physical theory will be sketched.