Theme 3 Reflection

Theme 3: Research and theory

             During this week we have a little bit different task compared to the previous theme. In this task, we have to select 1 paper from a journal and analyze this paper based on our knowledge. Before that, we must read 2 articles about the theory itself, and correlate with the previous theme, then we must analyze the selected paper. In this reflection, I will write a resume what I get from the lecture and the seminar and try to improve my previous assignment based on that.

          During the lecture, Mr. Leif Dahlberg gives a great explanation about theory and research. In the beginning, when we receive a new knowledge about something, it can be a practical knowledge (about how we can “use” it) or theoretical knowledge (about how we can “understand” it). In this lecture, Leif’s give several terms of theory, and in the end, I can conclude that theory is a set of proportional that aim to identify with using scientific method and their relation, furthermore some of them try to give prediction in the future. Theory of an object can be varied between each other depends on the faculty that they belong, for example theory of a man, a Greek philosopher defined man as a social and political animal, a medical say it as biological machine and religious see it as a divine creature create by God.

           Based on the subject and facts, theory can be distinguished between scientific theory (natural science) and philosophical theory. Philosophical theory is a theory whose the subject is not real like metaphysics, and the scientific theory is theory to make an explanation of nature using scientific method and can be falsifiable to verify it is right or wrong. Karl Popper also mentions that the most important thing when formulate the theories is not to prove it right, but to make a stand that this theory cannot prove that it wrong. In the end, no theory is completely correct, but if not falsifiable, it can accept as a general truth.

            The next topic is about the research, Leif’s explain that there are 3 kinds of research, scientific research, applied research and artistic research. In KTH, almost all research is grouped at applied research. This is because almost all the research in KTH is trying to solve practical problems that occurs in the real world. There is not many artistic research for the engineer, because usually the researcher in this field is an inventor, not an engineer. In this research, they create this new object and do some research about this new object.

         During the seminar, we still discuss about theory, hypothesis and research. But in this session we divided into separate group and then try to give a resume about the paper to somebody else in the group. In this resume, we explain about theory and hypothesis that used in the paper. After that, we explain this paper to the lecturer to get some feedback. In this session, I get a new insight about theory itself. Theories are needed to produce hypothesis, in order to get a strong paper, we need to gather the theory and plan the strategies how to implement it. Because a good paper is if it cannot falsify by any means. Also in the seminar, Leif’s answer that theory cannot immediately change after proven that the theory is wrong. It needs a regeneration phase to make the paradigm shift to the new one. Furthermore, a new theory maybe can be ignored for several case.