ABSTRACT
First, a word or two about the purpose of theory in social and natural sciences. A theory seeks to account for a defined set of regularities or patterns evident in a given phenomenon. For example, gravitational theory provides an explanation for the observable fact that objects, when released, fall to earth. A symbolic theory might try to explain the common association between a particular color and specific cultural meanings (e.g., red and fertility). It is not the isolated instance of a phenomenon that a theory explains (e.g., one object falling or one red symbol that stands for fertility), but the predictable repetition of the event.
