Internal and external virtues. These are two very important features of a theory. An internal feature is something that can be evaluated without having to observe the world. No observations are required. Internal features can be evaluated by studying books such as looking at the structure of a theory and its conceptual relation to other theories. External feature on the other hand is relevant to a theory’s relation to the world. This means that external feature requires experimentation and observation. External feature also demands and influence from objects and events outside an individual’s own mind and belief. This shows that external features are dependant on external environment. Basically, in order to determine a theory, both the internal and external features needs to be determined if they can be evaluated.
Although I can roughly understand the idea of internal and external features of a theory, I still find it confusing to make sense of the concept of identifying the internal and external features of a theory. I will need more explanations and I will also need to read up and understand more about these features and how it relates to the virtues which determines if a theory is good or bad.
For my future classroom practice, I will be sure to educate my students in identifying a good theory based on these three terms; internal features, external features and virtues in Science. I believe that if my students are able to understand these terms, they will easily recognise a good theory from a bad one. Thus, I think placing a reasonable amount of importance in understanding these terms is vital for my students in the future.
What a good theory comprises of
A video explaining what a theory is to enable my future students to understand what a theory exactly is, what makes a theory and then interconnect that knowledge into the internal and external virtues