Hypothesis, Theory and Guess

[Yorick]

http://www.merriam-webster.com

hy·poth·e·sis
Pronunciation:
\hī-ˈpä-thə-səs\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural hy·poth·e·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology:
Greek, from hypotithenai to put under, suppose, from hypo- + tithenai to put — more at do
Date:
circa 1656
1 a: an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument b: an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action
2: a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences
3: the antecedent clause of a conditional statement

synonyms hypothesis , theory , law mean a formula derived by inference from scientific data that explains a principle operating in nature.

hypothesis implies insufficient evidence to provide more than a tentative explanation (a hypothesis explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs).

theory implies a greater range of evidence and greater likelihood of truth (the theory of evolution).

law implies a statement of order and relation in nature that has been found to be invariable under the same conditions (the law of gravitation).


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the·o·ry
Pronunciation:
\ˈthē-ə-rē, ˈthir-ē\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural the·o·ries
Etymology:
Late Latin theoria, from Greek theōria, from theōrein
Date:
1592
1: the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another
2: abstract thought : speculation
3: the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science, or an art (music theory)
4 a: a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action (her method is based on the theory that all children want to learn) b: an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances —often used in the phrase in theory (in theory, we have always advocated freedom for all)
5: a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena (the wave theory of light)
6 a: a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation b: an unproved assumption : conjecture c: a body of theorems presenting a concise systematic view of a subject (theory of equations)



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guess
Pronunciation:
\ˈges\
Function:
verb
Etymology:
Middle English gessen, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian & Swedish gissa to guess, Middle Dutch gissen, gessen, Old Norse geta to get, guess — more at get
Date:
14th century
transitive verb
1 : to form an opinion of from little or no evidence
2 : believe , suppose (I guess you're right)
3 : to arrive at a correct conclusion about by conjecture, chance, or intuition (guess the answer)
intransitive verb
: to make a guess

[Lavindathar]

pointless

adjective
1. not having a point especially a sharp point; "my pencils are all pointless" [ant: pointed]
2. serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being; "otiose lines in a play"; "advice is wasted words"; "a pointless remark"; "a life essentially purposeless"; "senseless violence" [syn: otiose]



See I can do it too

But, I've missed the point. Why copy something out of a dictionary? I've missed the purpose of this post.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

I thought I did well and saved a few bits at the same time. ..seems I was right! thanks Yorick, checks in the mail.

[Firestormalpha]

I believe it has something to do with someone saying that a theory and a hypothesis are not the same thing in another thread. Purpose? clarification.

Originally Posted by Firestormalpha I believe it has something to do with someone saying that a theory and a hypothesis are not the same thing in another thread. Purpose? clarification.

Well I would argue that they are not the same. At least in scientific terms they are two different things, and I really couldn't see someone using those words outside the scientific realm.

[Yorick]

Originally Posted by SecretMaster Well I would argue that they are not the same. At least in scientific terms they are two different things, and I really couldn't see someone using those words outside the scientific realm.

Wow... well, how's this: I create hypothetical scenarios all the time to illustrate a point. To preface my use of hypothesis, I'd say "let's hypothetically say that.... blah blah blah". I've even used the term numerous times on IW.

I am far from unusual in this regard, and know plenty of people that do. The scientific community are hardly unique in their use of English.

As for theory, that's a widely used word: A theory in how a crime was committed. Music theory. Economic theory. It's a very common word.

A theory contains hypothesis, but has more implied factuality. It is still a kind of hypothesis nonetheless: an imagined scenario with the intent of explaining or communicating something unproven or as yet unverified. Both are conjecture, as is a guess.

So the three words, while holding differences in preciseness or emphasis, do have related meanings and are synonymous with each other.

Originally Posted by Yorick Wow... well, how's this: I create hypothetical scenarios all the time to illustrate a point. To preface my use of hypothesis, I'd say "let's hypothetically say that.... blah blah blah". I've even used the term numerous times on IW. I am far from unusual in this regard, and know plenty of people that do. The scientific community are hardly unique in their use of English. As for theory, that's a widely used word: A theory in how a crime was committed. Music theory. Economic theory. It's a very common word. A theory contains hypothesis, but has more implied factuality. It is still a kind of hypothesis nonetheless: an imagined scenario with the intent of explaining or communicating something unproven or as yet unverified. Both are conjecture, as is a guess. So the three words, while holding differences in preciseness or emphasis, do have related meanings and are synonymous with each other.

Well I feel absolutely daft right about now. I was just looking strictly at the word hypothesis and none of its other forms. I didn't even think of 'hypothetically'.

[JrKASperov]

Originally Posted by Yorick synonyms hypothesis , theory , law mean a formula derived by inference from scientific data that explains a principle operating in nature.

While a dictionary is all fine and dandy, if we are talking about the scientific world, we need philosophy of science to look at our definitions. For instance, the dictionary is plain wrong here. Hypotheses or theories are never inferred from scientific data due to one simple reason: underdetermination.

Instead, we use the hypothetico-deductive method. We assume a hypothesis or a group of them, look at their observable results and compare them to experiment. If there is enough corroboration as opposed to falsification (ignoring all issues with both terms), such a interconnected group of hypotheses is accepted and becomes a theory. So while hypotheses and theories are connected, they are not the same thing, at least in scientific use. The common language does interchange these, hence the confusion about these terms from the common folk.

A law is something different altogether. It is a singular statement, usually expressed in mathematical language, which proposes a connection (aka a formula) between certain variables in a highly idealised situation.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

I think that "basically" they all say "It's not for sure". And while the information containing that word may be interesting, it is not "fact" nor should it be construed as such.

[Stratos]

Originally Posted by Yorick Wow... well, how's this: I create hypothetical scenarios all the time to illustrate a point. To preface my use of hypothesis, I'd say "let's hypothetically say that.... blah blah blah". I've even used the term numerous times on IW.

People hypothesises every now and then, yes.

I am far from unusual in this regard, and know plenty of people that do. The scientific community are hardly unique in their use of English.

Perhaps, but if you talk about scientific theories you should use the definition of a scientific theory, not the vernacular usage.

As for theory, that's a widely used word: A theory in how a crime was committed. Music theory. Economic theory. It's a very common word.

Common word, yes, and pretty sloppily used sometimes. It's OK, I guess, as long you can actually seperate the definitions.

A theory contains hypothesis, but has more implied factuality. It is still a kind of hypothesis nonetheless: an imagined scenario with the intent of explaining or communicating something unproven or as yet unverified. Both are conjecture, as is a guess.

Well, not quite. A theory can be unverified or not, or rather unsupported or not, by evidence. There's nothing implied in the word that it has to lack evidence supporting it for it to be a (scientific) theory.

In a very strict sense you could probably say that theories are conjectures and guess, albeit educated ones, but they're fairly bad synonym to use here. They both imply something unverified, which might or might not apply to theories.