What is the essence of the neocatastrophism hypothesis? Examples of hypotheses. Examples of scientific hypotheses

The origin of life is a vast scientific problem. There has been a wealth of new data and research available over the past 10 years. Today, there are still unresolved questions, but the general picture of how life could have arisen from inanimate matter is becoming clearer very quickly. But, as you know, in science, every answer gives rise to 10 new questions.

Models of gradual evolution from inorganic compounds to the first organisms are now well developed. But the history of this issue dates back to the famous author .

The English naturalist and researcher did not write anything about this in his scientific works and did not seriously study theories and hypotheses of the origin of life. This topic was beyond the understanding of 19th century science. Charles was only talking about how the first living organisms that already existed gave rise to all the diversity of biological forms that we see.

Only from his letters to his best friend do we know that Darwin tried to think about this topic, but of course, at that level of knowledge, he could not specifically assume anything, except for the most general ideas that somehow they could still use inorganic chemistry, ammonium salts, phosphorus With the use of electricity, organic substances are generated in a small warm pond.

But it should be noted that even in this letter he guessed a lot very accurately. For example, chemists have discovered a plausible pathway for the abiogenic synthesis of nucleotides, the building blocks of RNA. It turned out that these nucleotides can be spontaneously synthesized under conditions similar to those of a small warm pond.

A huge number of versions of the origin of all life on Earth have been invented. Many of them were invented by conspiracy theorists and pseudoscientists. But still, the bulk of the theories are based on real facts and research.

Main theories of the origin of life:

— creationism;

- panspermia;

— steady state theory;

- spontaneous generation;

- biochemical evolution.

Creationist hypothesis adhered to by people who believe that life was created by a creator, God, the universal mind. It has no evidence, and its promotion is not carried out by scientists, but by journalists, theologians and theologians. They are also joined by people who want to earn extra money through deception.

These same creationists continue to argue that there is a mystery in the question of the origin of people, since archaeologists cannot find some missing link, that is, a transitional form from the ancient Cro-Magnon man to modern homo sapiens. Articles that are extremely important to understand:

» 100% Human Origins: Theories and Hypotheses

Steady State Theory is that living things, together with the universe, and accordingly the whole world, have existed and will always exist, regardless of time. Along with this, bodies and formations derived from the universe, such as stars, planetary systems, and living organisms, are limited in time: they are born and die.

At the moment, this hypothesis has only historical significance, and has not been discussed in scientific circles for a long time, since it has been refuted by modern science at a key point: the universe arose thanks to the big bang and its subsequent expansion. An important article on this topic in simple and understandable language: 100% Origin and evolution of the universe.

Panspermia theory already more scientific. It assumes the following: living organisms brought cosmic bodies such as meteorites or comets to our planet. Some especially dreamy supporters are sure that UFOs and aliens did this deliberately, pursuing their goals.

In our solar system, the probability of finding living organisms anywhere else is extremely small, but life could have flown to us from another star system. Astronomical data show that, according to the biochemical composition of meteorites, meteors and comets, organic compounds, for example, amino acids, can often be found in them. It was they who could become seeds when a cosmic body came into contact with the Earth, just as dandelion seeds scatter hundreds of meters around.

The main counterbalance to the panspermist statements is the logical question of where life came from on other planets from which this same asteroid or comet flew. Thus, the panspermic hypothesis of the alien origin of living organisms can only complement the main version - the biochemical one.

Abiogenesis theory through biochemical evolution, studies and successfully proves the formation of organic structures from inorganic matter, outside the body and without the use of special enzymes.

The synthesis of the simplest organic compounds from inorganic matter can take place in a wide variety of natural conditions: on the planet or in space (for example, in a protoplanetary disk - proplyd). In 1953, the famous classic Miller-Urey experiment was carried out, proving that organics such as amino acids can appear in a mixture of different gases that would imitate the atmospheric composition of the planet.

In nature, over time, it formed and acquired the ability to (by the way, today its synthesis by humans is very difficult). But this is the main building block, and the answer to the question of the origin of life on Earth lies precisely in it.

It is now absolutely clear how the deoxyribonucleic acid molecule arose. At first, biological creatures were based on another similar molecule called RNA. For a long time, there existed another living world in which organisms had hereditary information in the form of a ribonucleic acid molecule that acted as proteins. This molecule is capable of storing hereditary information like DNA and performing active work like proteins.

In modern cells, these functions are separated - DNA stores hereditary information, proteins do the work, and RNA serves as a kind of intermediary between them. In the very first ancient organisms there was only RNA, which coped with both tasks on its own.

An interesting pattern in the question of the origin of all living things is that over the past few years, dozens of new scientific articles have appeared that bring us as close as possible to solving the mystery, and no other theories or hypotheses of the origin of life other than the abiogenic one are currently required.

A hypothesis is an argument about a particular phenomenon, which is based on the subjective view of a person directing his actions in some established direction. If the result is not yet known to the person, then a generalized assumption is created, and checking it allows you to adjust the overall focus of the work. This is the scientific concept of a hypothesis. Is it possible to simplify the meaning of this concept?

Explanation in “non-scientific” language

A hypothesis is the ability to predict, predict the results of work, and this is the most important component of virtually every scientific discovery. It helps to calculate future errors and blunders and reduce their number significantly. In this case, a hypothesis generated directly during work can be partially proven. If the result is known, there is no point in the assumption, and then no hypotheses are put forward. This is a simple definition of the concept of hypothesis. Now we can talk about how it is built and discuss its most interesting types.

How is a hypothesis born?

Creating an argument in the human mind is not a simple thought process. The researcher must be able to create and update acquired knowledge, and he must also have the following qualities:

1. Problem vision. This is the ability to show the paths of scientific development, establish its main trends and connect disparate tasks together. Combines the problem vision with the already acquired skills and knowledge, instinct and abilities of a person in research.
2. Alternative character. This trait allows a person to draw interesting conclusions and find something completely new in known facts.
3. Intuition. This term refers to an unconscious process and is not based on logical reasoning.

What is the essence of the hypothesis?

A hypothesis reflects objective reality. In this it is similar to different forms of thinking, but it is also different from them. The main specificity of a hypothesis is that it reflects facts in the material world in a conjectural manner; it does not assert categorically and reliably. Therefore, a hypothesis is an assumption.

Everyone knows that when establishing a concept through the closest genus and difference, it will also be necessary to indicate distinctive features. The closest genus for a hypothesis in the form of any result of an activity is the concept of “assumption”. What is the difference between a hypothesis and a guess, fantasy, prediction, guessing? The most shocking hypotheses are not based on speculation alone; they all have certain characteristics. To answer this question, you will need to identify essential features.

Features of the hypothesis

If we talk about this concept, then it is worth establishing its characteristic features.

1. A hypothesis is a special form of development of scientific knowledge. It is hypotheses that allow science to move from individual facts to a specific phenomenon, generalization of knowledge and knowledge of the laws of development of a particular phenomenon.
2. A hypothesis is based on making assumptions that are associated with a theoretical explanation of certain phenomena. This concept acts as a separate judgment or a whole line of interrelated judgments, natural phenomena. Judgment is always problematic for researchers, because this concept speaks of probabilistic theoretical knowledge. It happens that hypotheses are put forward on the basis of deduction. An example is K. A. Timiryazev’s shocking hypothesis about photosynthesis. It was confirmed, but initially it all started from assumptions in the law of conservation of energy.
3. A hypothesis is an educated guess that is based on some specific facts. Therefore, a hypothesis cannot be called a chaotic and subconscious process; it is a completely logical and logical mechanism that allows a person to expand his knowledge to obtain new information - to understand objective reality. Again, we can recall the shocking hypothesis of N. Copernicus about the new heliocentric system, which revealed the idea that the Earth revolves around the Sun. He outlined all his ideas in the work “On the Rotation of the Celestial Spheres”, all guesses were based on a real factual basis and the inconsistency of the then still valid geocentric concept was shown.

These distinctive features, taken together, will distinguish a hypothesis from other types of assumption, as well as establish its essence. As you can see, a hypothesis is a probabilistic assumption about the causes of a particular phenomenon, the reliability of which cannot now be verified and proven, but this assumption allows us to explain some of the causes of the phenomenon.

It is important to remember that the term “hypothesis” is always used in two meanings. A hypothesis is an assumption that explains a phenomenon. A hypothesis is also spoken of as a method of thinking that puts forward some assumption, and then develops the development and proof of this fact.

A hypothesis is often constructed in the form of an assumption about the cause of past phenomena. As an example, we can cite our knowledge of the formation of the solar system, the earth's core, the birth of the earth, and so on.

When does a hypothesis cease to exist?

This is only possible in a couple of cases:

1. The hypothesis receives confirmation and turns into a reliable fact - it becomes part of the general theory.
2. The hypothesis is refuted and becomes only false knowledge.

This can happen during hypothesis testing, when the accumulated knowledge is sufficient to establish the truth.

What is included in the structure of a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is built from the following elements:

• basis - the accumulation of various facts, statements (whether justified or not);
• form - the accumulation of various conclusions that will lead from the basis of a hypothesis to an assumption;
• assumption - conclusions from facts, statements that describe and justify a hypothesis.

It is worth noting that hypotheses are always the same in logical structure, but they differ in content and functions performed.

What can be said about the concept of hypothesis and types?

In the process of the evolution of knowledge, hypotheses begin to differ in cognitive qualities, as well as in the object of study. Let's take a closer look at each of these types.

Based on their functions in the cognitive process, descriptive and explanatory hypotheses are distinguished:

1. A descriptive hypothesis is a statement that speaks about the inherent properties of the object under study. Typically, an assumption allows us to answer the questions “What is this or that object?” or “What properties does the object have?” This type of hypothesis can be put forward in order to identify the composition or structure of an object, reveal its mechanism of action or features of its activity, and determine functional features. Among descriptive hypotheses there are existential hypotheses, which speak about the existence of some object.
2. An explanatory hypothesis is a statement based on the reasons for the appearance of a particular object. Such hypotheses make it possible to explain why a certain event occurred or what are the reasons for the appearance of an object.

History shows that with the development of knowledge, more and more existential hypotheses appear that tell about the existence of a specific object. Next, descriptive hypotheses appear that tell about the properties of those objects, and finally explanatory hypotheses are born that reveal the mechanism and reasons for the appearance of the object. As you can see, there is a gradual complication of the hypothesis in the process of learning new things.

What hypotheses are there for the object of study? There are general and private.

1. General hypotheses help to substantiate assumptions about natural relationships and empirical regulators. They act as a kind of scaffolding in the development of scientific knowledge. Once hypotheses are proven, they become scientific theories and contribute to science.
2. A partial hypothesis is an assumption with justification about the origin and quality of facts, events or phenomena. If there was a single circumstance that caused the appearance of other facts, then knowledge takes the form of hypotheses.
3. There is also such a type of hypothesis as a working one. This is an assumption put forward at the beginning of the study, which is a conditional assumption and allows you to combine facts and observations into a single whole and give them an initial explanation. The main specificity of the working hypothesis is that it is accepted conditionally or temporarily. It is extremely important for the researcher to systematize the acquired knowledge given at the beginning of the study. Afterwards they will need to be processed and a further route to be outlined. A working hypothesis is precisely what is needed for this.

What is a version?

The concept of a scientific hypothesis has already been clarified, but there is another such unusual term - version. What it is? In political, historical or sociological research, as well as in forensic investigative practice, often when explaining certain facts or their combination, a number of hypotheses are put forward that can explain the facts in different ways. These hypotheses are called versions.

There are public and private versions.

1. The general version is an assumption that tells about the crime as a whole in the form of a single system of certain circumstances and actions. This version answers not just one, but a whole series of questions.
2. A private version is an assumption that explains the individual circumstances of a crime. From private versions, one general version is built.

What standards must a hypothesis meet?

The very concept of a hypothesis in the rules of law must meet certain requirements:

• it cannot have several theses;
• the judgment must be framed clearly and logically;
• the argument should not include judgments or concepts of an ambiguous nature that cannot yet be clarified by the researcher;
• the judgment must include a method for solving the problem in order to become part of the study;
• when presenting an assumption, it is prohibited to use value judgments, because the hypothesis must be confirmed by facts, after which it will be tested and applied to a wide range;
• the hypothesis must correspond to the given topic, subject of research, tasks; all assumptions unnaturally tied to the topic are eliminated;
• a hypothesis cannot contradict existing theories, but there are exceptions.

How is a hypothesis developed?

A person's hypotheses are a thought process. Of course, it is difficult to imagine a general and unified process for constructing a hypothesis: all because the conditions for developing an assumption depend on practical activities and on the specifics of a particular problem. However, it is still possible to identify the general boundaries of the stages of the thought process that lead to the emergence of a hypothesis. This:

• putting forward a hypothesis;
• development;
• examination.

Now we need to consider each stage of the emergence of the hypothesis.

Hypothesizing

To put forward a hypothesis, you will need to have some facts related to a certain phenomenon, and they must justify the probability of the assumption, explain the unknown. Therefore, first there is a collection of materials, knowledge and facts related to a specific phenomenon, which will be further explained.

Based on the materials, an assumption is made about what this phenomenon is, or, in other words, a hypothesis is formulated in a narrow sense. An assumption in this case is a certain judgment that is expressed as a result of processing the collected facts. The facts on which the hypothesis is based can be logically understood. This is how the main content of the hypothesis appears. The assumption must answer questions about the essence, causes of the phenomenon, and so on.

Development and testing

Once a hypothesis is put forward, its development begins. If we assume the assumption made to be true, then a number of definite consequences should appear. In this case, logical consequences cannot be identified with the conclusions of the cause-and-effect chain. Logical consequences are thoughts that explain not only the circumstances of a phenomenon, but also the reasons for its occurrence, and so on. Comparing the facts from the hypothesis with already established data allows you to confirm or refute the hypothesis.

This is only possible as a result of testing the hypothesis in practice. A hypothesis is always generated by practice, and only practice can decide whether a hypothesis is true or false. Testing in practice allows you to transform a hypothesis into reliable knowledge about the process (whether it is false or true). Therefore, one should not reduce the truth of a hypothesis to a specific and unified logical action; When checking in practice, different methods and methods of proof or refutation are used.

Confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis

The work hypothesis is often used in the scientific world. This method allows you to confirm or refute individual facts in legal or economic practice through perception. Examples include the discovery of the planet Neptune, the discovery of clean water in Lake Baikal, the establishment of islands in the Arctic Ocean, and so on. All this was once hypotheses, but now it is scientifically established facts. The problem is that in some cases it is difficult or impossible to proceed with practice, and testing all assumptions is not possible.

For example, now there is a shocking hypothesis that modern Russian is deeper than Old Russian, but the problem is that it is now impossible to hear oral Old Russian speech. It is impossible to verify in practice whether the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible became a monk or not.

In cases where prognostic hypotheses are put forward, it is inappropriate to expect their immediate and direct confirmation in practice. That is why in the scientific world they use such logical proof or refutation of hypotheses. Logical proof or refutation proceeds in an indirect way, because phenomena from the past or today are learned that are inaccessible to sensory perception.

The main ways of logical proof of a hypothesis or its refutation:

1. Inductive way. More complete confirmation or refutation of a hypothesis and the derivation of certain consequences from it thanks to arguments that include laws and facts.
2. Deductive way. Derivation or refutation of a hypothesis from a number of other, more general, but already proven ones.
3. Inclusion of a hypothesis in the system of scientific knowledge, where it is consistent with other facts.

Logical proof or refutation can take place in the direct or indirect form of proof or refutation.

The important role of hypothesis

Having revealed the problem of the essence and structure of the hypothesis, it is also worth noting its important role in practical and theoretical activity. A hypothesis is a necessary form of development of scientific knowledge; without it it is impossible to understand something new. It plays an important role in the scientific world and serves as the foundation for the formation of virtually every scientific theory. All significant discoveries in science did not arise in a ready-made form; These were the most shocking hypotheses, which sometimes people did not even want to consider.

Everything always starts small. All physics was built on countless shocking hypotheses, which were confirmed or refuted by scientific practice. Therefore, it is worth mentioning some interesting ideas.

1. Some particles move from the future to the past. Physicists have their own set of rules and prohibitions, which are considered to be canon, but with the advent of tachyons, it would seem that all norms have been shaken. A tachyon is a particle that can violate all accepted laws of physics at once: its mass is imaginary, and it moves faster than the speed of light. The theory has been put forward that tachyons can travel back in time. The particle was introduced by theorist Gerald Feinberg in 1967 and declared that tachyons were a new class of particles. The scientist argued that this is actually a generalization of antimatter. Feinberg had a lot of like-minded people, and the idea took root for a long time, however, refutations still appeared. Tachyons have not completely disappeared from physics, but still no one has been able to detect them either in space or in accelerators. If the hypothesis were true, people would be able to contact their ancestors.
2. A drop of water polymer could destroy the oceans. This one of the most shocking hypotheses suggests that water can be transformed into a polymer - this is a component in which individual molecules become links in a large chain. In this case, the properties of water should change. The hypothesis was put forward by chemist Nikolai Fedyakin after an experiment with water vapor. The hypothesis has frightened scientists for a long time, because it was assumed that one drop of an aqueous polymer could turn all the water on the planet into a polymer. However, the refutation of the most shocking hypothesis was not long in coming. The scientist’s experiment was repeated, but no confirmation of the theory was found.

There were a lot of such shocking hypotheses at one time, but many of them were not confirmed after a series of scientific experiments, but they were not forgotten. Fantasy and scientific justification are the two main components for every scientist.

Michael Francis Atiyah, a professor at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh, and winner of nearly a dozen prestigious prizes in mathematics, presented a proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, one of the seven “Millennium Problems”, which describes how prime numbers are located on the number line.

Atiyah's proof is short; together with the introduction and bibliography, it takes up five pages. The scientist claims that he found a solution to the hypothesis by analyzing problems associated with the fine structure constant, and used the Todd function as a tool. If the scientific community considers the proof correct, then the Briton will receive $1 million for it from the Clay Mathematics Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Other scientists are also vying for the prize. In 2015, he announced the solution to the Riemann hypothesis Professor of Mathematics Opeyemi Enoch from Nigeria, and in 2016 presented his proof of the hypothesis Russian mathematician Igor Turkanov. According to representatives of the Institute of Mathematics, in order for the achievement to be recorded, it must be published in a reputable international journal, followed by confirmation of the proof by the scientific community.

What is the essence of the hypothesis?

The hypothesis was formulated back in 1859 by the German mathematician Bernhard Riemann. He defined a formula, the so-called zeta function, for the number of prime numbers up to a given limit. The scientist found that there is no pattern that would describe how often prime numbers appear in a number series, and he discovered that the number of prime numbers not exceeding x, is expressed through the distribution of the so-called “non-trivial zeros” of the zeta function.

Riemann was confident in the correctness of the derived formula, but he could not establish on what simple statement this distribution completely depended. As a result, he put forward the hypothesis that all non-trivial zeros of the zeta function have a real part equal to ½ and lie on the vertical line Re=0.5 of the complex plane.

Proving or disproving the Riemann hypothesis is very important for the theory of prime number distribution, says Postgraduate student of the Faculty of Mathematics of the Higher School of Economics Alexander Kalmynin. “The Riemann Hypothesis is a statement that is equivalent to some formula for the number of prime numbers not exceeding a given number x. The hypothesis, for example, allows you to quickly and accurately calculate the number of prime numbers not exceeding, for example, 10 billion. This is not the only value of the hypothesis, because it also has a number of rather far-reaching generalizations, which are known as the generalized Riemann hypothesis , extended Riemann hypothesis and grand Riemann hypothesis. They are even more important for different branches of mathematics, but first of all, the importance of the hypothesis is determined by the theory of prime numbers,” says Kalmynin.

According to the expert, using the hypothesis, you can solve a number of classical problems of number theory: Gauss’s problem on quadratic fields (the tenth discriminant problem), Euler’s problem on convenient numbers, Vinogradov’s conjecture on quadratic non-residues, etc. In modern mathematics, this hypothesis is used to prove statements about prime numbers. “We immediately assume that some strong hypothesis like the Riemann hypothesis is true, and see what happens. When we succeed, we ask the question: can we prove this without presupposing a hypothesis? And, although such a statement is still beyond what we can achieve, it works like a beacon. Due to the fact that there is such a hypothesis, we can look where we should go,” says Kalmynin.

Proving the hypothesis can also influence the improvement of information technology, since encryption and encoding processes today depend on the effectiveness of different algorithms. “If we take two simple large numbers of forty digits each and multiply, we get a large eighty-digit number. If you set the task of factoring this number, it will be a very complex computational problem, on the basis of which many information security issues are based. They all involve creating different algorithms that deal with complexities of this kind,” says Kalmynin.

Planet Vulcan. The 19th century French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier could not explain the strange orbit of Mercury, and made the assumption that there was another planet near the Sun - Vulcan. Even several reports of observations of the mysterious planet were published, but they all contradicted each other. In the 20th century, the theory of relativity dispelled the mystery of Mercury's orbit, and with it the theory of Vulcan.

Spontaneous generation is a hypothesis that has been believed for thousands of years. This refers to the emergence of living organisms not from other organisms, eggs or seeds, but from a nonliving environment. Even Aristotle believed that fly larvae spontaneously generated in animal corpses. And although the question of the origin of life on Earth remains open, basically this theory has been refuted.

The expanding Earth is a surprisingly popular idea that persisted well into the mid-20th century. It was believed that the movement of continents occurred due to the fact that the Earth gradually increased in volume. This hypothesis was seriously considered by Charles Darwin. The study of tectonic plates in the 1960s and later proved that the Earth has not changed in size for at least 400 million years.

Phlogiston is a hypothetical element found in all flammable substances. Chemists of the 17th century assumed that it was he who provided combustion and was also responsible for various processes in metals, for example, the formation of rust. The phlogiston theory was supplanted by the oxygen theory in the 1770s.

Martian channels. In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli announced that he could see mysterious straight lines on Mars and called them “canals.” Later, a theory was formulated that the canals are of artificial origin and are used by Martians to irrigate the planet. In the 20th century, the hypothesis was refuted - the lines turned out to be an optical illusion.

The ether is a mysterious medium, the existence of which was believed by many great scientists, such as Aristotle, Rene Descartes and Thomas Jung. True, they all understood the ether in different ways - as an analogue of vacuum, the original substance or “transport” for light. These theories were extremely popular, but after lengthy research they were refuted.

Tabula rasa is the theory that a person is born as a “blank slate”, without any mental or sensory content, receiving it only during adulthood. It was formulated by Aristotle and widespread until the end of the 20th century. Even an in-depth study of genetic mechanisms and the transmission of hereditary traits could not finally convince the supporters of this hypothesis of its fallacy.

Phrenology is one of the first and most famous pseudosciences that determines a person’s mental qualities based on the shape of the skull and the size of the brain. Phrenologists argued that the larger a person's brain, the more information he can retain. Further development of neurophysiology refuted these theses.

Fixed Universe. Einstein was certainly one of the greatest scientists in human history, but he also made mistakes. He believed that the Universe is motionless, its size remains unchanged, and he is held back by a powerful anti-gravity field. After a long dispute with Einstein, this hypothesis was refuted by Russian mathematician Alexander Friedman.

Cold nuclear fusion is the “holy grail” of chemists, the theory of achieving nuclear fusion without ultra-high temperatures. In 1989, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced that they had successfully carried out CNF, but no one could repeat their experiment. At the moment, the hypothesis has not received convincing confirmation.

Ancient misconceptions, such as the Sun orbiting the Earth, or more modern ones, such as that Venus is covered with greenery and suitable for life, have been refuted with the development of astronomy and space exploration. What other famous scientific hypotheses turned out to be wrong?

Logical characteristics of the hypothesis

Cognition of any phenomenon of reality, as is known, begins with the collection and accumulation of individual facts related to this phenomenon. The facts available at the beginning of knowledge are always not enough to fully and immediately explain this phenomenon, to draw a reliable conclusion about what it is, what are the reasons for its occurrence, the laws of development, etc. Therefore, cognition of objects and events of the external world often proceeds using a hypothesis. Without waiting for facts to accumulate for a final, reliable conclusion (for example, about the nature and reason for the development of the phenomenon under study), they first give a conjectural explanation, and then this assumption is developed and proven. What is a hypothesis?

A hypothesis, like a concept, judgment, and inference, which are discussed in previous chapters, reflects the objective world. And in this it is similar to the mentioned forms of thinking. However, the hypothesis differs from them. Its specificity lies not in what it reflects in the material world, but in the fact How reflects, i.e. presumably, probably and not categorically, unreliably. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the term “hypothesis” itself, translated from Greek, means “assumption”.

It is known that when defining a concept through the closest genus and species difference, it is necessary to indicate the essential features that distinguish a given species from other species included in the same closest genus. The closest genus for a hypothesis as a certain result of cognitive activity “is the concept of “assumption”. What is the specific difference between this type of assumption - a hypothesis - and other types of assumption, say, conjecture, fantasy, assumption, prediction, everyday assumption or guessing? It seems that the specific The difference for a hypothesis should be sought in the answer not to the question “What is the proposal about”, but to the question “What is the proposal.”

Based on this, it is necessary to highlight the following essential features of the hypothesis.

Firstly, a hypothesis is a special form of development of scientific knowledge. The construction of hypotheses in science makes it possible to move from individual scientific facts related to a phenomenon to their generalization and knowledge of the laws of development of this phenomenon.

Secondly, the construction of a scientific hypothesis is always accompanied by an assumption related to a theoretical explanation of the phenomena under study. It always appears in the form of a separate judgment or a system of interrelated judgments about the properties of individual facts or the natural connections of phenomena. This judgment is always problematic; it expresses probabilistic theoretical knowledge. Sometimes a hypothesis arises from deduction. For example, the hypothesis of K.A. Timiryazev's theory of photosynthesis was initially derived deductively from the law of conservation of energy.

Third, A hypothesis is a well-founded assumption based on specific facts. Therefore, the emergence of a hypothesis is a non-chaotic and not subconscious, but a natural and logically harmonious cognitive process that leads a person to obtain new knowledge about objective reality. For example, the new heliocentric system of N. Copernicus, revealing the idea of ​​the Earth’s rotation around the Sun and outlined by him in his work “On the Rotation of the Celestial Spheres,” was based on real facts and proved the inconsistency of the geocentric concept that was dominant at that time.

These essential features in their totality are quite sufficient to use them to distinguish a hypothesis from other types of assumption and determine its essence. A hypothesis (from the Greek gypothesis - basis, assumption) is a probabilistic assumption about the cause of any phenomena, the reliability of which in the modern state of production and science cannot be verified and proven, but which explains these phenomena, without it inexplicable; one of the methods of cognitive activity.

It is important to keep in mind that the term "hypothesis" is used in two meanings. Firstly, a hypothesis is understood as the assumption itself that explains the observed phenomenon (hypothesis in the narrow sense). Secondly, as a method of thinking in general, including putting forward an assumption, its development and proof (hypothesis in the broad sense).

The second, in fact, is a complex process of thought leading from ignorance to knowledge. The study of the logical form of this process is one of the tasks of logic. “With the complete elimination of the hypothesis,” noted K.A. Timiryazev, “science would turn into a pile of bare facts.”

A hypothesis is often constructed as an assumption about the cause of past phenomena, about a natural order that has already ceased, but its assumption explains a certain set of phenomena that are well known from history or observed at the present time. Our knowledge, for example, about the formation of the solar system, the state of the earth's core, the origin of life on Earth, etc. is hypothetical.

A hypothesis ceases to exist in two cases: firstly, when it, having received confirmation, turns into reliable knowledge and becomes part of the theory; secondly, when the hypothesis is refuted and becomes false knowledge.