A comment upon "The Organizing Efficiency of Theories: The N/V Ratio as a Crude Rank Order Measure" (The American Behavioral Scien tist, October, 1965), which contends that the criterion for evaluating al ternative theories does not provide a sound basis for such a decision, and comments upon the issues raised by such a consideration. Mr. Casstevens is an Assistant Specialist with the Institute of Governmental Studies, the University of California at Berkeley.
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References
1.
Since "the name Gosset is scarcely known" and "Fisher is not only the greatest figure m the history of statistics, but one of the greatest figures in the history of scientific method generally," it is unfortunate that Professors Deutsch, Singer, and Smith (op. cit., p. 31) attribute Student's t-Distribution to Fisher rather than Gosset. The quotations are from W. Allen Wallis and Harry V. Roberts, Statistics. A New Approach (n.n., New York: The Free Press, 1956), pp. 417, 16.
2.
Op. cit, p. 30.
3.
See Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 1962), pp. 156-157.
4.
The caveat is necessary since Professors Deutsch, Smger, and Smith adopt a very broad meaning for "theory." "The term 'theory' as used in this paper includes single propositions and correlations between two variables, as well as more elaborate configurations of propositions, which often are thought of as forming 'theories' in the narrower sense of the word." Op. cit., p. 33n.
5.
I am in general sympathy with, but do not entirely endorse the sentiments expressed by Karl R. Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery (New York: Harper & Row [Harper Torchbooks], 1965), pp. 20-21.
6.
"Theories" encompasses "single propositions," within the lexicon of Professors Deutsch, Singer, and Smith. (See above note 3.) Since "Jack is white" is a single proposition, "Jack is white" qualifies as a "theory." The N/V ratio of "Jack is white" is ½ since Jack is a unique person and the statement refers to both Jack (one variable) and whiteness (a second variable). But, according to Professors Deutsch, Smger, and Smith (op. cit., p. 30), an N/V ratio equal to unity (one) defines the lower limit for an explanation.
7.
Thus, although "Jack is white" is a "theory," "Jack is white" cannot serve as an explanatory theory.
8.
See the classic article by Carl G. Hempel and Paul Oppenheim, "The Logic of Explanation," reprinted in Herbert Feigl and May Brodbeck, Readings in the Philosophy of Science (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts (1953), pp. 337-343.
9.
This discussion assumes that when NJ is a proper sub-set of Nk, Nk does not consist of NJ plus some arbitrary element(s)-say , Jack
