Steve's+Ideas

Well... I'll bite...

If, by "greatest," we mean something like "most broad of scope," then I might argue for the age-old favorite of natural scientists everywhere: All matter is made up of tiny particles (I suppose you could call it Kinetic Molecular Theory if you wished). It's sort of the basis for all physical science and a stepping stone for theories of the material world. Some might argue for something a bit further down the line, like biological evolution by means of natural selection, but I enjoy the idea that most of what we see in the universe doesn't seem to have DNA or RNA. Alternatively, it might be interesting to nominate something more historically recent -- e.g., the current "standard model" of particulate matter -- yet, it seems less useful and more likely to change than the one above. Another alternative I'd consider within the realm of "science-y type things" would be a general conservation theory that linked conservation of momentum, energy, information (e.g., genetic code), and matter, but no such singular theory really exists in a coherent statement. If it did, however, that would probably be "greatest." Of course, we might argue for a different definition of "greatest..."

If, by "theory," we mean "a means for leveraging further understanding," I might go with something like: all human knowledge is contingent on human perception, social norms, and experience. It's a bit meta (and not just a little constructivist, I know), but as a means for addressing those nagging questions that plague those who live the life of the mind it is invaluable. As a means for interrogating what it is humans know and how they know it, it's pretty handy to have a theory as a starting point. Not necessary, mind you, but handy -- humans were doing lots of things before anyone got bothered by questions of epistemology, but being able to communicate about it allows navel-gazers something to do. Of course, we might argue for a different definition (or none at all) of "theory..."

If, by "ever," we mean "over the entire expanse of inter-communicable humanity," I'd have to leave it to Whitney Houston: children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way; show them all the beauty they possess inside; give them a sense of pride to make it easier; let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be. Ok, not really. I just wanted to demonstrate how absurdity can be useful (albeit in a very clumsy way) as a mode of deconstruction. Actually, I just wanted to make you smile. :-) Of course, we might argue for a different notion of "ever..."

And, of course, we can take a moment to play around with what "you" means... especially since Lynn did not prohibit the problematization of that term. (I'll leave the work on "do," "think," and "is" to other, more capable scholars.) Defining me as a physical entity is tough -- we change so much over time (e.g., our cells are replaced continuously). And defining me as something beyond physical is at least as tricky (consciousness is a hot topic these days, and most agree that it is quite fluid). So, in order to make sense of what the "you" who is me thinks about the greatest theory ever would require the "you" who is me to try to make a statement about the beliefs of a "you" who >was< me at the moment I conceived of an answer to the question. However, by virtue of the changing nature of "you" in this sense, I'd always already be providing some sort of temporally encapsulated snapshot that can not be taken as a reflection of the thoughts of the "you" who is me at the moment the "you" who is you is reading it. Even ignoring the crazy nature of any sort of translation of meaning required on your end in order to reformulate what the "you" might have meant, just the tedium of temporality is real pain.

It is, in the end, one of those questions that just leaves the head spinning... Or, maybe that's just the scotch talking.

Even so, I loved thinking about it! And, I'm very curious to hear what others pondered while reading the deceptively short question.

//Steve//

PS - This would make a great wiki. Imagine people coming to it from all walks of life to share their visions of the greatest theory ever!

PPS - As I finish and look over what I've just written, so many more things come to mind that I really would want to consider (theories of music, language, time, culture, and a host of other things). Damn... it's almost like I've changed my thinking as a result of the act of thinking!