User:Gregbard/Concepts and theories

This is a proposed framework to organize articles in Wikipedia about concepts and theories.

There are many articles in Wikipedia which have been traditionally difficult to classify in categories because they consist mainly in being ideas rather than as, for instance physical objects, or people. In the course of organizing the philosophy articles such that each branch of philosophy had subcategories covering the people, and the literature it became apparent that the remainder of articles in the main category consisted of a lot of "-isms" and abstract concepts.

In further organizing these articles a theories category was created for each branch as well. These categories have served to well to organize such articles, as the theories category which had contained hundreds of articles has been diffused to less than a couple dozen 'difficult to further classify' articles (as of 6/09).

At this stage, it has become apparent that there are some inconsistencies which have been brought into sharp relief by this process:


 * For some topics, the article is named after the "-ism" which is the theory employing a particular concept, and other times the article is named after the concept, without regard to any theories which employ it. (i.e. a category contains an article like Placebo, which itself is not a "theory", but rather is a concept employed consistent with a theory.
 * There is a great deal of category duplication, and segregation of articles due to the existence of Schools of thought, Ideologies, Philosophical movements, and Philosophical schools and traditions, and Views. This had caused some articles to be unnecessarily duplicated in some categories, and some articles which inappropriately left out of certain categories due to this wide segregation/disparity of categories. Proposed recommendations:


 * Theories:


 * Schools of thought => Philosophical theories
 * Ideologies => Philosophical theories
 * Philosophical schools and traditions => Philosophical traditions
 * Views => Philosophical theories


 * Category:Art movements => Category:Theories of aesthetics (or vice versa)


 * Category:Ethical schools and movements => Category:Ethical theories


 * Category:Political science theories => Category:Political theories
 * Category:Political ideologies => Category:Political theories
 * Category:Forms of government => Category:Political systems


 * Category:Economic ideologies => Category:Economic theories


 * Category:Spiritualism => Category:Spiritual theories
 * Category:Religious belief and doctrine => Category:Spiritual theories
 * Category:Religious faiths, traditions, and movements => Category:Spiritual theories


 * Concepts:
 * Category:Philosophical terminology => Category:Philosophical concepts

I believe the "political," "philosophical" "religious" and "social" movements can remain as categories, and we will be better able to reserve those categories for what qualifies as a "movement" if we are able to take any that don't qualify and always find a place for them under theories.

Style guide
It is universally recommended in articles under category Category:Theories that some formulation of the following be used to create a consistent format:


 * Scientific: " T-ism is a [U-ist] V-ological theory in field-W which attempts to explain X phenomenon. It is based on the observation that Y events occur, which is called Z."
 * Philosophical: " T-ism is a [U-ist] V-ological theory in field-W which attempts to explain X concept. It is based on the concept that Y is the case, a concept which is called Z."
 * Religious/Spiritual: " T-ism is a [U-ist] V-ological theory in movement/religion-W which attempts to explain X concept. It is based on the belief that Y is the case, a concept which is called Z."


 * There should be an attempt to identify the theory within the category structure and vice versa.

To do

 * Philosophy nav templates organized with concepts and theories sections
 * Lists organized
 * Identify articles which are inconsistent with the format
 * Objectivity (philosophy) => Objectivism
 * Universality (philosophy) => Universalism
 * Falsifiability =>Falsificationism


 * Identify articles possible merges or splits. In most cases the merge should be into the -ism form of the concept, as this does not presume the existence of particular concepts which may not exist. Whereas the existence of the -ism itself is not in question.
 * Apocalypse => Apocalypticism


 * Identify which concepts are associated with which theories and categorize accordingly
 * Category:Mathematical concepts (or Category:Mathematical objects)
 * Category pages should include a link to categories of closely related/contrasting theories. (Reductionism/Holism)

Concepts by field
Category:Concepts
 * Category:Concepts by field
 * Category:Anti-cult terms and concepts
 * Category:Ayyavazhi philosophical concepts
 * Category:Basic concepts in infinite set theory
 * Category:Basic concepts in set theory
 * Category:Basic financial concepts
 * Category:Basic meteorological concepts and phenomena
 * Category:Behavioral concepts
 * Category:Buddhist philosophical concepts
 * Category:Concepts in alternative medicine
 * Category:Concepts of Heaven
 * Category:Engineering concepts
 * Category:Fictional concepts in comics
 * Category:Fictional concepts of the afterlife
 * Category:Fundamental physics concepts
 * Category:Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophical concepts
 * Category:Graphical concepts in set theory
 * Category:Hindu philosophical concepts
 * Category:Jain philosophical concepts
 * Category:Latter Day Saint concepts of the afterlife
 * Category:Lean concepts
 * Category:Literary concepts
 * Category:Marginal concepts
 * Category:Minor Belgariad / Mallorean Concepts
 * Category:Neo-Nazi movements and concepts
 * Category:Neuro-Linguistic Programming concepts and methods
 * Category:Neuroethology Concepts
 * Category:Philosophical concepts
 * Category:Philosophical concepts in literature
 * Category:Science fiction concepts
 * Category:Talmud concepts and terminology
 * Category:Talmudic concepts
 * Category:Talmudic concepts and terminology
 * Category:Terms and concepts of the 2000s United States housing bubble
 * Category:Theosophical philosophical concepts
 * Category:Theravadan terms and concepts
 * Category:Waste management concepts
 * Category:Wiki concepts