Likewise, history, ethnicity, identity, migration patterns, and archaeology are often inseparable. All together, these features contribute to both the paradigm and distinctiveness of anthropology, making it different from other scientific endeavors. Even anthropological studies of nonhuman primates ultimately relate to our understanding humans. A fundamental component within a scientific paradigm is the scientific theory . A theory describes and explains observable and observed events and predicts future events.
Theories function to set up conditions for experiments.
A theory is usually confirmed if the actual observations agree with the predictions. A theory can be viewed as a group of related hypotheses that have repeatedly been tested and not rejected. Ultimately, theories cannot be proven. They are tentative entities, subject to modification and rejection. Stated simply, any theory could be wrong.