ABSTRACT
Larry Laudan's notion of research tradition and his problem-solving view of science offer a rational explanation of theory evaluation and change, and of progress in Second Language Acquisition (SLA). The following are some of the questions in need of consideration with respect to SLA as an emergent scientific discipline. What is the role of theories in guiding and shaping a field of inquiry? What counts as a theory? Is theory proliferation really a problem? When and how can theories be evaluated, either in absolute terms or comparatively, without endangering needed theoretical innovation? Were SLA researchers to agree on the need for comparative theory assessment and adopt Laudan's problem-solving approach the purpose, there is reason to believe some headway could be made with the problem of theory proliferation currently hindering progress. Laudan's theory of scientific progress recognizes the importance of both: A theory should solve a maximum number of empirical problems and should also eliminate conceptual difficulties.
