What makes a theory a good theory?

Well... first we must make the difference between a "hypothesis" and a "theory"... A hypothesis (from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις, from Greek ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose,"[1] plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. read more

A good theory should explain the observations or results of an experiment or phenomena, being understandable to a lay person while also being reasonable enough to allow for further testings. A good theory should also be frugal in their nature so others can test it, and they should also be predictive. read more

Every"good" scientific theory is a prohibition: it forbids certain things to happen. The more a theory forbids, the better it is. 4. A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific. Irrefutability is not a virtue of a theory (as people often think) but a vice. 5. read more