What is a hypothesis? Her types

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In all spheres of life - from science to everyday life - we move from ignorance to knowledge, comprehending various phenomena and connecting them with each other. During this process, we make assumptions, build hypotheses. They may turn out to be false, or they may be justified by turning into the truth and raising the level of our knowledge. So what is a hypothesis?

As the textbooks explain, a hypothesis is an assumption, most often in the scientific industry, that is somewhat in limbo. That is, while it can neither be refuted nor confirmed. Hypotheses may contain causes, effects, connections between any natural phenomena, may refer to mental activity or the life of society.

Speaking about what a hypothesis is, it is worth dwelling on the degree of its generality. According to this factor, all assumptions can be divided into general and particular. In short, the goal of setting a general hypothesis is to give a scientific justification for the causes and patterns of any phenomena, and not single ones, but a whole class. An example of such an assumption would be that allsubstances consist of atoms, or the theory of the appearance of celestial objects. Such important hypotheses, subject to proof, are scientific theories, in addition, they play a key role in the development of all world science.

Partial hypotheses consider objects and phenomena selected from the general series. Many such assumptions are made in social science or archeology, during excavations. There are still single hypotheses that substantiate the essence of the occurrence and causes of specific facts and certain events. A vivid example of this is the work of a doctor: in the course of treating one particular patient, he puts forward single hypotheses, prescribing and adjusting the treatment regimen.

In judicial practice, a scientific hypothesis is often far from alone. It is possible to approach the explanation of individual facts, cases, the totality of the circumstances that have occurred from several sides. Fundamentally different hypotheses are called versions. They are also public and private.

In proving a hypothesis, whether it is a single one or a general one, people build a series of assumptions at each stage of their research. These assumptions are conditional, they help to group and systematize the data for more convenient consideration. They are called workers. As you can see, the working hypothesis does not at all seek to find out the real causes and patterns of the phenomenon under study, but is considered just an auxiliary element.

We figured out what a hypothesis is, and now let's talk about its confirmation or refutation. To confirm any assumption, there are two ways: direct and indirect. In the first, a huge role is played by various kinds of experiments that derive consequences from the hypothesis and verify them. The entire success of proving the hypothesis depends on the correct setting of the goal and the competent planning of the experimental process. An indirect way is the refutation of all false hypotheses, as a result of which only one is left - the only true one.

As for the refutation of hypotheses, everything is simple here: you need to refute their consequences, to prove that they do not take place in reality. Ultimate success can be achieved by discovering facts, causes or effects that fundamentally contradict the consequences of the hypothesis.

That's it. Now you know what a hypothesis is, how it is built, confirmed and refuted. Let logic guide you!