4 ms·

Probably just you ;) Lay people use the two interchangeably. In at least two of the thesaurus I have at hand hypothesis is synonymous is theory.

andrewflnr 6y ago
It seems to me like even scientists use the terms not quite interchangeably, but on a spectrum. String theory is still "theoretical physics", not "hypothetical physics", even though it will likely never be tested in our lifetime.
- zuminator 6y ago
  That's because the whole internet idea of "a theory is a well-tested hypothesis" is silly and wrong. A hypothesis is a specific supposition or question about the way things work which if true has some level of explanatory power in a field of study. It can be confirmed or unconfirmed. It's still a hypothesis. An answered question is still a question. A theory is a explanatory framework for a body of knowledge. Unlike a hypothesis, it's not inherently a question or a guess. That doesn't mean it's "true." It also can be unconfirmed (as you say, string theory) or even demonstrably false (phlogiston theory, Ptolemaic theory) and still be a theory. Obviously there's considerable overlap between the two concepts and as you say they are sometimes used almost interchangeably. Colloquially, "I'm testing my hypothesis that orally ingesting booze provides protection against infection, which if confirmed will be a key part of a theory of booze immunology" gets collapsed into "I'm testing my theory of booze immunology." Big deal. It really only matters because people let themselves get bent out of shape about the whole "evolution is just a theory" thing. And since I'm ranting already, evolution isn't "just a theory" because evolution itself isn't a "theory," evolution is the natural phenomenon that is being theorized about.
  - andrewflnr 6y ago
    Right. I'll only add that it's not really an "internet idea". It's a highly idealized, cartoon version of science that has been part of my education since long before I was on the internet.

andrewflnr 6y ago

It seems to me like even scientists use the terms not quite interchangeably, but on a spectrum. String theory is still "theoretical physics", not "hypothetical physics", even though it will likely never be tested in our lifetime.

zuminator 6y ago
That's because the whole internet idea of "a theory is a well-tested hypothesis" is silly and wrong. A hypothesis is a specific supposition or question about the way things work which if true has some level of explanatory power in a field of study. It can be confirmed or unconfirmed. It's still a hypothesis. An answered question is still a question. A theory is a explanatory framework for a body of knowledge. Unlike a hypothesis, it's not inherently a question or a guess. That doesn't mean it's "true." It also can be unconfirmed (as you say, string theory) or even demonstrably false (phlogiston theory, Ptolemaic theory) and still be a theory. Obviously there's considerable overlap between the two concepts and as you say they are sometimes used almost interchangeably. Colloquially, "I'm testing my hypothesis that orally ingesting booze provides protection against infection, which if confirmed will be a key part of a theory of booze immunology" gets collapsed into "I'm testing my theory of booze immunology." Big deal. It really only matters because people let themselves get bent out of shape about the whole "evolution is just a theory" thing. And since I'm ranting already, evolution isn't "just a theory" because evolution itself isn't a "theory," evolution is the natural phenomenon that is being theorized about.
- andrewflnr 6y ago
  Right. I'll only add that it's not really an "internet idea". It's a highly idealized, cartoon version of science that has been part of my education since long before I was on the internet.