Reviewing the criteria for evaluating the growth of theoretical knowledge which studies analyzing theories from the viewpoint of the growth of knowledge adopt

Abstract

　This study is about reviewing the criteria to distinguish better theoretical knowledge from worse theoretical knowledge. Which criterion to choose is what greatly influences giving superiority or inferiority to theories and correcting theories. As a better criterion for evaluation of the growth of theoretical knowledge prior research proposed the evaluation criterion of the depth of problems. But what is the depth of problems previous work could not explain. And it could not examine whether the evaluation measure of the depth of problems could be applied to social-scientific theories. Thus, this study approaches the questions of what the depth of problems is and whether it could be applicable to social-scientific theories. Our first conclusion is that a deeper problem is the contradiction which a deeper theory has. Our second conclusion is that the evaluation criterion of the depth of problems could not be applicable to social-scientific theories. To solve this problem situation, this study proposes as a better measure of the growth of theoretical knowledge the testability of theories controlled by the idea of realistically necessary and sufficient conditions.