In all areas of life - from scientific 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 going to the truth and raising the level of our knowledge. So what is a hypothesis?
As the textbooks explain, the hypothesis is the assumption, most often in the scientific industry, which is in a somewhat
suspended state. That is, until it can neither be refuted nor confirmed. Hypotheses may contain causes, consequences, connections between any natural phenomena, and may relate 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 distinguished into general and particular. In short, the goal of the general hypothesis is to provide a scientific justification of the causes and laws of any phenomena, not single ones, but a whole class. An example of such an assumption is that all substances are composed 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 world science.
Private hypotheses consider objects and phenomena isolated from the general series. Many such assumptions are made in social science or archeology, during excavations. There are still single hypotheses that justify the essence of the occurrence and causes of specific facts and certain events. A vivid example of this is the work of a doctor: during the treatment of one particular patient, he puts forward individual hypotheses, prescribing and adjusting the treatment regimen.
In judicial practice, the scientific hypothesis is often far from one. It is possible to approach the clarification of certain facts, cases, and the totality of circumstances that have occurred from several sides. Various fundamentally hypotheses are called versions. They are also general and private.
Proving the hypothesis, it is not so important, singular or general, people build a number of assumptions at each stage of their research. These assumptions are conditional in nature, help to group and organize the data for a more convenient review. They are called workers. As you can see, the working hypothesis does not at all seek to elucidate the real causes and laws of the phenomenon under study, but is considered only an auxiliary element.
We have 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, which deduce the consequences from the hypothesis and verify them. The whole success of proving a hypothesis depends on the correct goal setting and proper planning of the experimental process. An indirect way is the refutation of all false hypotheses, as a result of which one remains - the only true one.
As for the refutation of hypotheses, everything is simple: you need to refute their consequences, to prove that they do not have a reality. Final success can be achieved if facts, causes or consequences are found that fundamentally contradict the consequences arising from the hypothesis.
That's all. Now you know what a hypothesis is, how it is built, confirmed and refuted. Let logic follow you!