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Originally Posted by !@#$%!
it used to be that theory arose from observation, that it emerged from the object in question after the testing of hypotheses. sure that is the scientific method, but still, it is a reasonable approach study of anything. nowadays though, due to fashion and career pressures, people just take a "theory" and "apply" it to whatever is at hand in order to fulfill the prerequisite number of published articles for advancement.
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I take it you're referring to Karl Popper's 'testability' thesis. This is an interesting issue. I've come to the conclusion that modern humanities is built on the foundations of a holy trinity made up of Hegel, Marx and Freud, in the form of the 'zeitgeist', 'ideology' and the 'unconscious', respectively - all of which attempt to say much the same thing without being able to be validated 'scientifically'. Although I think there are significant problems with Popper's position it does raise the question as to the humanities' function within modern society beyond that of therapeutic self-expression.