Although a new theory has been found in the interpretation of how atoms bind to the formation of molecules (molecular orbital theory), the theory of hybrid orbitals is still clearly used, especially in organic chemistry books on how molecules are formed. Why?
Each theory has value, and each is a valuable tool for various purposes. Remember, too - each is only a theory, and neither completely accurately describes a molecule. However, hybrid bonds/valence-bond theory is a simpler theory to work with, and does an excellent job of describing molecular shape, the positions of double bonds, etc. MO theory, on the other hand, is more difficult to understand and work with, but does a much better job of explaining e.g. contributions to resonance structures, so can be the superior tool for predicting reactivity or the like.
We use both for the same reason we still use Lewis structures, despite knowing that they have little relation to the actual chemical - each is a useful descriptive tool that helps us to understand the chemistry under consideration.
Each theory has value, and each is a valuable tool for various purposes. Remember, too - each is only a theory, and neither completely accurately describes a molecule. However, hybrid bonds/valence-bond theory is a simpler theory to work with, and does an excellent job of describing molecular shape, the positions of double bonds, etc. MO theory, on the other hand, is more difficult to understand and work with, but does a much better job of explaining e.g. contributions to resonance structures, so can be the superior tool for predicting reactivity or the like.
We use both for the same reason we still use Lewis structures, despite knowing that they have little relation to the actual chemical - each is a useful descriptive tool that helps us to understand the chemistry under consideration.
Of course not, but old theories are the basis for starting scientific research
Frequently, newer theories do not invalidate older theories, but represent refinements that allow to more precisely model the real world, although at the price of, for example, computational cost or conceptional difficulties. Depending on the level of precision needed, using a less complete model may be good enough for the task at hand. Or, in the case of very complex systems, you may need the simplifications to render the problem tractable by a computational approach (e.g. in simulating huge macromolecules as compared to simple organic compounds).
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