litical theorists, like Wolin, believe that theory ascends fact because it is broader, more encompassing, and more explanatory. They feel that facts are distinct statements grouped together by theories. In popular usage, a theory is just a vague and fuzzy sort of fact and a hypothesis is often used as a fancy synonym to `guess'. However, to a scientist a theory is a conceptual framework that explains existing observations and predicts new ones. For instance, suppose you see the Sun rise. This is an existing observation that is explained by the theory of gravity proposed by Newton. This theory, in addition to explaining why we see the Sun move across the sky, also explains many other phenomena such as the path followed by the Sun as it moves across the sky, the phases of the Moon, the phases of Venus, the tides, just to mention a few. A hypothesis is a working assumption. Typically, a scientist devises a hypothesis and then sees if it ``holds water'' by testing it against available data (obtained from previous experiments and observations). If the hypothesis does hold water, the scientist declares it a theory. Experiments sometimes produce results that cannot be explained with existing theories. In this case, it is the job of scientists to produce new theories that replace the old ones. The new theories should explain all the observations and experiments the old theory did and, in addition, the new set of facts which lead to their development. One can say that new theories devour and assimilate old ones. Scientists continually test existing theories in order to probe how far can they can be applied. So how does truth change? Well the answer is that it does not. The Universe is still the same as it ever was. When a theory is said to be true, it means that it agrees with all known experimental evidence. But even the best of theories have, time and again, been shown to be incomplete: though they might explain a...
