Tonight’s Science Discussion
A new interactive SierraDescents series for Ph D’s and laymen alike:
If a hypothesis cannot be tested, does it have any value?
Advanced discussion: consider the hypothesis being innately untestable, as opposed to currently untestable, as separate cases.
January 27th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Hmm, not sure I’d consider this a science discussion. More of an exercise in debate. That said …
An untestable hypothesis will have value if it generates active and informed argument. That is to say, as long as it pushes us to question the boundaries of our understanding and world view. Regardless of whether or not we actually come to a conclusion about the validity of the hypothesis, it will have served an important purpose.
By that same logic, an innately untestable hypothesis is likely not as valuable. Our nature is such that we ignore things we perceive as intuitively unattainable. E.g. If you said that 20 angels fit on the head of a pin, is that useful? No, not really, unless you want to get into some pretty wacky theological discussions. But if you said that backcountry skiing was harmful to the environment… well, that’s not something we can really test in a quantifiable manner, yet it will likely generate some interesting discussion. E.g. How much gas does it takes to drive from L.A. to Mammoth and back, what kind of chemicals are used in the manufacture of skis and packs, how does the backcountry community differ from the rest of society in terms of environmental awareness, etc.
January 27th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Not a science discussion? I beg to differ!
I believe a hypothesis does have value even if it is currently untestable. Consider Einstein’s work on the speed of light or motion of planets as an example. These ideas were initially untestable, because technology didn’t exist to measure them. However, the ideas did stir considerable effort into developing a means TO test them, and subsequently, experiments did confirm Einstein’s predictions.
We could thus argue that even in primitive times, great ideas have value even if they’re not implementable.
On the other hand, if you have an idea which is innately untestable–it can never be proven or disproven–what value can it have? By definition, the idea will never have any material or practical impact. It is forever ‘abstract’.