I still haven't work out the difference between a theorem and a theory. But I think what Coase has is a theorem. For those who don't keep track of all the economics Nobel Prize winners, Coase won the Nobel Prize in 1991, for some idea he came up with. I didn't really agree with him, although I think lots of people reckon the idea is a bit silly. Or at least not very clever. But I actually think it's wrong.
And I chatted to my lecturer about it today. And he thought for a bit. And then said some stuff. And then I said some stuff. And he said "Hmmm..... I'll ask around." So he's going to ask around. And that's really exciting. Because that might mean that no one else has thought of it before. Or at least, he hasn't heard of someone else thinking of it before, and he is a professor of Labour stuffo, so he must know quite a lot.
i’m not exactly sure, but i think the difference is a theory is more established knowledge, but a theorem is an arguement that for all intents and purposes has been proven to be true. but maybe the difference is, when people write their thesis(es), maybe they choose a to call it a theory or theorem (based on their self assurance) and the name sticks from there on in.
on a side note, is the plural for thesis thesii?
chris / 10:27pm / 20 May 2004
That would be good. Thesii. I think its like sheep though. I am doing two thesis… Or 6 thesis.
Jum / 7:22am / 21 May 2004
Perhaps “theses”. Yes. I just just checked, and that is right.
dictionary.com reckons a theorem is demonstrably true. A theory is a set of ideas (or even just one) that explains some phenomena. So you’d be right.
Ryan / 10:32am / 21 May 2004
Ryan, I don’t want to rain on your parade, but… I think these Nobel Prize winners have pretty much thought the whole way throught their theoremii by the time they get to that stage…
Rainman / 9:06am / 24 May 2004
That’s what I would have thought too, until I spoke to my lecturer. Probably the Nobel guy has thought it through, but maybe other people have just forgotten to put those parts of his thinkings into the textbooks.
Ryan / 2:01pm / 24 May 2004