ABSTRACT
The recapitulation points to the most conspicuous difference between a theory's discursive version and its formal version. Whereas a discursive version of the typical sociological theory runs for hundreds of pages, the formal version may take up less than ten pages. Adoption of a formal mode would enable sociologists to publish more theories and reports of tests without an increase in publication costs for the field. Both the discursive mode and a formal mode of theory construction may be used when stating a theory. All intrinsic statements can be introduced and defended in an ordinary language; but at some point each one must be articulated in accordance with some formal mode, and eventually they must be brought together as the theory's formal version, if only to display the theory's logical structure. Numbered designations facilitate identification of the premises that entered into the derivation of each theorem.
