Google
Monday 
October 21, 2024 

AmosWEB means Economics with a Touch of Whimsy!

AmosWEBWEB*pediaGLOSS*aramaECON*worldCLASS*portalQUIZ*tasticPED GuideXtra CrediteTutorA*PLS
ANDEAN COMMUNITY: The Andean Community (CAN) is a subregional organization endowed with an international legal status, which is made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. The main objectives of the Andean Community are to promote the balanced and harmonious development of the member countries under equitable conditions, to boost their growth through integration and economic and social cooperation and to enhance participation in the regional integration process with a view to the progressive formation of a Latin American common market. The Andean Community started operating on August 1, 1997 with a General Secretariat, whose headquarters are in Lima (Peru), as its executive body.

Visit the GLOSS*arama


PHENOMENON:

An event or action that is subject to investigation, analysis, and explanation using the scientific method. Phenomena are the sorts of things that science seeks to explain. They can be common events, like the blowing wind, or unusual, like the extinction of the dinosaurs.
While the term phenomenon might entice thoughts of UFOs, ghosts, and mutant three-headed turtles, it really applies to any type of event or action. These events can be extraordinary or mundane. They can be unusual or common place.

The types of events falling under the heading of phenomena and subject to scientific study include the sun rising, the stock market falling, a person talking, a volcano erupting, a basketball bouncing, a star exploding, and a bird flying. Some of these events might not seem appropriately suited to be called phenomena because they are quite ordinary.

The Extraordinary

Science is definitely interested in explaining unusual and extraordinary events. If a glowing, three-dimensional, translucent image of Abraham Lincoln playing badminton with Issac Newton suddenly appears on the front lawn of the White House, then science would certainly seek an explanation. Scientists salivate profusely at the prospect of explaining the occurrence of exceptional events. Doing so pushes forth the frontiers of science. It reveals possible deficiencies in existing theories and avenues for improvement.

The Great Depression of the 1930s, for example, revealed flaws in the existing classical economic explanation of the macroeconomy and induced economists to push forth the theoretical boundaries of economic science.

The Ordinary

Science, however, seeks to explain ordinary and mundane events, as well. It is also interested in explaining the glow of fireflies, the flight of a badminton shuttlecock, and the growth of grass on the front lawn of the White House. Explaining common events means that a theory works, that it has captured the essential laws of nature.

The same theory that might explain the catastrophic downturn of the Great Depression also needs to explain an increase in the unemployment rate from 5.1 percent to 5.2 percent. If it fails to explain the ordinary, then a theory has no chance of explaining the extraordinary.

<= PERSONAL TAXESPHYSICAL FLOW =>


Recommended Citation:

PHENOMENON, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2024. [Accessed: October 21, 2024].


Check Out These Related Terms...

     | empirical | data | verification |


Or For A Little Background...

     | scientific method | science | theory | principle | hypothesis | law | abstraction | cause and effect | world view |


And For Further Study...

     | fallacies | economic science | social science | physical science | dismal science | economic thinking |


Related Websites (Will Open in New Window)...

     | American Association for the Advancement of Science | American Economic Association | National Science Foundation |


Search Again?

Back to the WEB*pedia


APLS

BROWN PRAGMATOX
[What's This?]

Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at a flea market trying to buy either a 200-foot blue garden hose or a video camera with stop action features. Be on the lookout for telephone calls from long-lost relatives.
Your Complete Scope

This isn't me! What am I?

Sixty percent of big-firm executives said the cover letter is as important or more important than the resume itself when you're looking for a new job
"A stumble may prevent a fall. "

-- Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister

AER
American Economic Review
A PEDestrian's Guide
Xtra Credit
Tell us what you think about AmosWEB. Like what you see? Have suggestions for improvements? Let us know. Click the User Feedback link.

User Feedback



| AmosWEB | WEB*pedia | GLOSS*arama | ECON*world | CLASS*portal | QUIZ*tastic | PED Guide | Xtra Credit | eTutor | A*PLS |
| About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement |

Thanks for visiting AmosWEB
Copyright ©2000-2024 AmosWEB*LLC
Send comments or questions to: WebMaster