WHAT IS THEORY?

A theory seems first as a conceptual and systematic explanation of a given phenomena. Therefore, it is composed of concepts and relations between them, is systematic and does explain phenomena under consideration.

Briefly,

It is the conceptual and holistic, that is, systematic understanding and explanation of phenomena.

An understanding means what lies under phenomena, hence it means what exists under standing, that is, what is under standing.

Under- standing requires to show what exists below, beyond or under the seen. An observation cannot show what it is but shows just what seems to us.

To be able to go beyond or under what is seen requires concepts, which are the words and expressions produced by people, systematic observers, earlier philosophers and intellectuals. Actually, the concepts are also given by history, by previous theories and philosophies.

Concepts are given above all by earlier thinkers, ideologues and philosophers. They offer to us the previous under-standings of the given phenomena. Therefore, concepts are also given as a heritage of the past.

What under-lies, and what is to be under-stood is provided to us by the past in terms of phenomena and its under-standings.

What exists beyond or under the phenomena is therefore the past of the phenomena. What is to be revealed or discovered is the past and the earlier phase of the phenomenal existence.

Reality and its appearance is divided as what appears has a past, beginning and development. Hence what exists beyond and under appearance, that is reality, is nothing but the initial, later and current phases of reality, which we call appearance or phenomena itself.

Therefore, concepts transfer all previous under-standings of the current phenomena.

Marx says that there would not be a need to science if and as long as there was no division or distance between reality and appearance. This simply means that an appearance has a past, development and current phase. Past and development shows what under-lies the phenomena or appearance.

Therefore, while concepts provide us with how phenomena have been conceived until now, historical beginning and development of it shows us how the phenomena or appearance come to our senses.

This is the historical characteristic and requirement of a theory.

Another component  of a theory is holistic under-standing of phenomena by going beyond and under however it is observed. 

Does reality has a totality? By totality we can under-stand only the influence and sovereignty area of the reality. Therefore, totality just means the territory and border of phenomena’s influence and sovereignty.

Totality is the sphere of determination and disappears when another determining forces become dominant.  It is just like a magnet which no longer affects or attracts after a line or border.

Last thing to mention what a theory needs is models and schemes that are used to show how theory explains.

Models and schemes are nothing but explanatory tools to apply an unexisted theory to specific cases. Bourgeois theories, as an ideological habit and methodological tendency, accept them as theory.

Development models of positivist sociologists, input-output model of the social systems theorists and demand-supply curves of marginalist economists are mistakenly considered theories, for instance. They are not theories since they start and end with the current phenomena. They explains the current appearance with models. Actually they liken what is seen to their models and try to gap between what is seen and what the model they suggest is. They just represent what they see, hear and feel. These theorists are nothing but photographers. However, a photograph just shows what is seen in the moment of posing.

To show just how the system works with a model, as seen in input-output models of the social systems theories, helps us only how we can reproduce and repair the system if it breaks down. Therefore, the question of modelling is rather pragmatic rather that trying to reveal and discover the reality and truth.  Rather, it is just to show how to reproduce, and if needed, repair the defects in the current mechanisms.

Models and schemes seem highly sensitive towards spheres, borders and the main determinants of the systems. Inputs are processed into outputs through the main body of machine. However, they are not a theory as they just try to represent what is going on rather than explaining and revealing why they occur and why system is divided into input-demanders and output-suppliers as well as what stands between them. Nothing is explained but just a model of what is seen.

Models and schemes show and represent current situation and processes of phenomena  without historical development and conceptual under-standing of them.

Bourgeois models and schemes do not reach the level of theoretical level since they just describe what is seen currently. Problem is related with the ignorance of determination concept. 

Determination does not mean “cause”, “affect”, “leads into”, result into” on the contrary of common ordinary understanding.

But, it means how dialectical relation is established and then develops into and acquires new contradictory relations.

It shows how an existence starts and develops through becoming to have new existences.

It simply refers to the emergence of an existence and its development.

If so, an existence is the reality itself, which acquires new existences, which we call becoming.

For this reason, to under-stand reality, we have to understand how it first existed and then has evolved, and changed into current situation.

If something exists, it must have been first determined, that is, having special characteristics.

Finally, we argue that an existence, that is reality itself, whatever it is, has a starting point and for it to develop, it must have an internal dynamism and energy, which we call contradiction.

About why existence is contradictory and determined we can just say that without contradiction, there cannot be forces to change any current situation since there cannot be conflict, fight, struggle, war, pushing, pulling, attraction, oppression, obedience  domination and suppression, consent, coercion in either social or natural life. And, without contradiction, there cannot be any determination.

Only a contradiction can be the base of change and hence a subject of process.

Hence, for reality and existence to be revealed, under-stood, discovered, beyond its appearance or phenomena, we need to know how contradictory relations have first appeared.

Therefore, science and or theory uses past continuous tense instead of past or present tenses.

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No need to sate that, theory is the hardcore of science itself. It proves itself with showing historical origination and development of contradictory relations till their current appearances which are determined, in other words, started with the emergence and development of contradictory relations.

And, future is related with how contradictory relations are and can be dissolved into new relations from the background of current situation of phenomena.