Formal Theory

Formal theory can refer to:

  • Another name for a theory which is expressed in formal language.
  • An axiomatic system, something representable by symbols and its operators
  • Formal theory from political science, the theoretical modeling of social systems based on game theory, dynamical systems theory, among other interdisciplinary fields.


Famous quotes containing the words formal and/or theory:

    “Good gentlemen, look fresh and merrily.
    Let not our looks put on our purposes,
    But bear it as our Roman actors do,
    With untired spirits and formal constancy.”
    —William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    “It makes no sense to say what the objects of a theory are,
    beyond saying how to interpret or reinterpret that theory in another.”
    —Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)