zombie theory

plural zombie theories

1. sciencesA scientific theory that has been disproved, or for which attempts to prove it have failed, but which continues to be presented as a viable theory.

   The best example of a zombie theory is the one-time giant of American sociological theory, structural functionalism.

   2016, George Ritzer, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology, page 105

   1 more example

   Sometimes, even when the very author of the theory argues that it has reached its threshold, the zombie theory keeps stumbling around as more than a historical reference point.

   2017, John P. Dugan, Leadership Theory: Cultivating Critical Perspectives, page 140