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Limited Scope
Definition
The theory doesn't explain anything other
than the phenomenon it explains.
Examples
- There was hostility toward hippies in the 1960s because
of their parents' resentment toward children.
(This theory is flawed because it explains hostility
toward hippes, and nothing else. A better theory would
be to say there was hostility toward hippies because
hippies are different, and people fear things which are
different. This theory would explain not only hostility toward
hippies, but also other forms of hostility.)
- People get schizophrenia because different parts of
their brains split apart.
(Again, this theory explains schizophrenia - and nothing
else.)
Proof
Identify the theory and the phenomenon it explains. Show that
the theory does not explain anything else. Argue that theories
which explain only one phenomenon are likely to be incomplete,
at best.
References
Cedarblom and Paulsen: 163
13 August 1996
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