ФИЛОСОФИЯ. Философия науки

Doctor of Philosophy, professor R.Yu. Rakhmatullin

Bashkir state agrarian university, Russia

Hypothesis as a form of scientific knowledge

The hypothesis is a reasonable assumption, explaining the cause or nature of the phenomenon. But the truth of this assumption is not yet proven. Such assumptions are necessary in scientific knowledge. Hypothesis need science, since the essence of things can not be seen in ordinary perception.

The content of the hypothesis includes:

Grounds hypothesis. This empirical material: the results of observation, experiment, reliably proven facts, etc.

Logical processing grounds hypothesis. It's a different mental operations to streamline information (comparison, analysis, synthesis, abstraction, generalization, etc.).

Nomination assumptions. His goal: 1) an explanation of the properties of the object or reason.

Evaluation of logical correctness of the assumptions.

Checking the validity of the assumptions in practice.

The hypothesis is different by guesswork obligatory presence of these components. But guess can be considered as a prerequisite hypothesis.

Before testing the hypothesis in practice, we take account of what is recommended the following options:

– hypothesis must be in harmony, or at least be compatible with all the facts that are relevant to the test event. Of the many competing hypotheses preferably one that explains the greater number of facts relating to the object under study;

– hypothesis must be simple. A large number of alleged cases reduces the degree of reliability;

– hypothesis must be testable;

– we must take into account the existence of other hypotheses to explain the studied event. We can not ignore the "weak" hypothesis. But you need to know: a hypothesis yields only probable knowledge;

– hypothesis that contradict each other can not both be true, except for the cases when they explain the different sides of the investigated event;

– in the hypothesis must be taken into account not only the rules of logic, but also the laws, properties, development trends of the object.

These requirements allow you to select the most promising of the existing hypotheses and justify its validity.

After these procedures begin verification of the truth of the hypothesis. To do this, it is necessary to do everything possible conclusions. The hypothesis is considered proven if these findings are consistent with the existing facts. But any hypothesis is refuted by the only example contradicting her.

Scientific studies are often used working hypotheses. This assumption, which, as a rule, put forward in the early stages research at a very limited source material. It is a conventional assumption, allowing at first grouped the existing facts and to set specific, most likely, under the present conditions the direction of the search of new information about the object.

If a lot of information, it formulated general and specific hypotheses.

The general hypothesis – a hypothesis about the properties or the reason for the whole group of similar phenomena. Generally, this assumption explaining patterns of natural, social or psychic phenomena. Of these, they tend to get scientific theories. Examples of common hypotheses are Kant-Laplace hypothesis about the origin of the solar system from cosmic dust, the assumption of Mendeleev on the properties of chemical elements, etc. But very often the general hypothesis is only possible as a result of partial hypotheses.

Partial hypothesis – a hypothesis on the origin and properties of the individual events and phenomena. An example of a partial hypothesis is the assumption of production time found during archeological excavations vase. Linguists puts forward specific hypotheses about the origin of certain words, relationship between languages.

And the total and partial hypothesis may be working hypotheses. It happens when not enough information.

Logical structure hypotheses usually takes two forms:

aÚb, a

Øb

или:

aÚb, Øa,

b

In the first case, the conclusion of (b) correctly only if the alternative hypothesis (a and b) are mutually exclusive.

In the second embodiment, the above hypothesis, the logical rule is not valid. There used one logical norm: we should take into account all possible hypotheses. For example, we assume that the object is a metal (a) or metalloid (b). When testing is that it is not metal (Øa). We conclude that it is a metalloid (b). But the answer may be wrong. Why? Because we have forgotten about the third hypothesis: the object may be an alloy.

In jurisprudence hypothesis called version. With respect to them using the same logical rules. The only difference between versions and hypotheses is that the version built with the legal laws.

References:

1. Bazhenov L. Hypothesis // Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Vol. 1. M, 1960.

2. Rakhmatullin R.Yu., Isaev A. A, Linkevich A. E Logic: Tutorial. Ufa, 2010.