The rules of scientific investigation always require us…
“The rules of scientific investigation always require us, when we enter the domains of conjecture, to adopt that hypothesis by which the greatest number of known facts and phenomena may be reconciled.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Choose hypotheses that best reconcile existing facts, prioritizing coherence over speculation.
In simple terms: Prefer hypotheses that fit known facts.
Select the most unifying explanation.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- research design
- data analysis
- theory development
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance simplicity and completeness?
- When should you reject a unifying hypothesis?
Complex data may resist simple unification.