Framework for Assessing the Maturity of Scientific Ideas Science Readiness Scale (S.R.S.)

This paper introduces the Science Readiness Scale (S.R.S.), a conceptual framework to assess the maturity of scientific ideas using empirical, methodological, and sociological indicators. Drawing from technology readiness frameworks, S.R.S. evaluates theories from early conjecture to consolidated paradigms. Philosophical grounding engages Popper’s falsifiability, Kuhn’s paradigms, Lakatos’s research programmes, and Laudan’s problem-solving model. The framework is positioned within contemporary debates on realism (Psillos, Worrall) and pluralism (Chang). S.R.S. does not aim to replace philosophical accounts of progress but provides a structured heuristic for comparing scientific developments and guiding further inquiry.