---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is the fundamental hypothesis of…"
description: "\"What is the fundamental hypothesis of science, the fundamental philosophy? We stated it in the first chapter: the sole test of the validity of any idea..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg"
---

#  What is the fundamental hypothesis of science, the…

![“What is the fundamental hypothesis of science, the fundamental philosophy? We stated it in the first chapter: the sole test of the validity of any idea is experiment. ... If we are told that the same experiment will always produce the same result, that is all very well, but if when we try it, it…” quote by Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg)

> “What is the fundamental hypothesis of science, the fundamental philosophy? We stated it in the first chapter: the sole test of the validity of any idea is experiment. ... If we are told that the same experiment will always produce the same result, that is all very well, but if when we try it, it does not, then it does not. We just have to take what we see, and then formulate all the rest of our ideas in terms of our actual experience.”

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Science validates ideas through repeatable experiments; if results differ, the idea fails.

**In simple terms:** Science tests ideas by experiment; inconsistent results reject them.

Key Takeaway

Trust experimental evidence.

Themes

science experimentation empiricism philosophy

Mood

inquisitive analytical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- research labs
- product development
- policy making

Key Concepts

methodology critical analysis

Practical Applications

- design reproducible tests
- base conclusions on data

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you ensure experiments are unbiased?
- What role does theory play when experiments conflict?

A Different Perspective

Experiments may be limited by technology or bias.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chapters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapters/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fundamental Hypothesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental-hypothesis-1199626/) [Fundamental Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental-philosophy-1461828/) [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [Hypothesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypothesis/) [Hypothesis Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypothesis-science-1461829/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Fundamental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fundamental-1191606/) [Sole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sole/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Validity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/validity/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [A good hypothesis in science must have other properties than those of the phenomenon it is immediately invoked to explain, otherwise it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/a-good-hypothesis-in-science-must-have-other-properties-than-those-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [The whole edifice of modern physics is built up on the fundamental hypothesis of the atomic or molecular constitution of matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/the-whole-edifice-of-modern-physics-is-built-up-on-the-fundamental/)

[C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/)

> [My fundamental philosophy is that you owe it to society to transfer to them any knowledge you have that might be useful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/my-fundamental-philosophy-is-that-you-owe-it-to-society-to-transfer/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [Science is a fundamental part of our existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-a-fundamental-part-of-our-existence/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“this was the fundamental hypothesis of the senior staff, shared by Walsh and everyone else: Trump must know what he was doing, his intuition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/this-was-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-the-senior-staff-shared-by/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The publication of the Darwin and Wallace papers in 1858, and still more that of the 'Origin' in 1859, had the effect upon them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/the-publication-of-the-darwin-and-wallace-papers-in-1858-and-still/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [The only relevant test of the validity of a hypothesis is comparison of prediction with experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-only-relevant-test-of-the-validity-of-a-hypothesis-is-comparison/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Experiment is the sole judge of the validity of any idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/experiment-is-the-sole-judge-of-the-validity-of-any-idea/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [The fundamental principle of science, the definition almost, is this: the sole test of the validity of any idea is experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fundamental-principle-of-science-the-definition-almost-is-this/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [All things are made of atoms-little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/all-things-are-made-of-atoms-little-particles-that-move-around-in/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Emotional Literacy means being able to recognise what you are feeling, so that it doesn't interfere with thinking. It becomes another dimension to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/emotional-literacy-means-being-able-to-recognise-what-you-are-feeling/)

[Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/)

> [The footnote would seem to be the smallest detail in a work of history. Yet it carries a large burden of responsibility, testifying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/the-footnote-would-seem-to-be-the-smallest-detail-in-a-work-of/)

[Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/)

> [To mistrust science and deny the validity of scientific method is to resign your job as a human. You'd better go look for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/to-mistrust-science-and-deny-the-validity-of-scientific-method-is-to/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [No one questions the validity, the urgency, the essentiality of the Voting Rights Act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kennedy/no-one-questions-the-validity-the-urgency-the-essentiality-of-the/)

[Anthony Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kennedy/)

> [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

## More by Richard P. Feynman

> [“Philosophers have said before that one of the fundamental requisites of science is that whenever you set up the same conditions, the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/philosophers-have-said-before-that-one-of-the-fundamental-requisites/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [My rule is, when you are unhappy, think about it. But when you're happy, don't. Why spoil it? You're probably happy for some ridiculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/my-rule-is-when-you-are-unhappy-think-about-it-but-when-you-re-happy/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Trying to understand the way nature works involves a most terrible test of human reasoning ability. It involves subtle trickery, beautiful tightropes of logic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/trying-to-understand-the-way-nature-works-involves-a-most-terrible/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Today's brains are yesterday's mashed potatoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/today-s-brains-are-yesterday-s-mashed-potatoes/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Mathematics is a language plus reasoning; it is like a language plus logic. Mathematics is a tool for reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-a-language-plus-reasoning-it-is-like-a-language-plus/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [It is necessary for the very existence of science that minds exist which do not allow that nature must satisfy some preconceived conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-is-necessary-for-the-very-existence-of-science-that-minds-exist/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [“There was a Princess Somebody of Denmark sitting at a table with a number of people around her, and I saw an empty chair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-was-a-princess-somebody-of-denmark-sitting-at-a-table-with-a/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [All the time you're saying to yourself, 'I could do that, but I won't,'--which is just another way of saying that you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/all-the-time-you-re-saying-to-yourself-i-could-do-that-but-i-won-t/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [“There's a big difference between knowing﻿ the name of something and knowing something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-s-a-big-difference-between-knowing-the-name-of-something-and/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fact-that-you-are-not-sure-means-that-it-is-possible-that-there/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/you-can-always-recognize-truth-by-its-beauty-and-simplicity/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [One cannot understand... the universality of laws of nature, the relationship of things, without an understanding of mathematics. There is no other way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/one-cannot-understand-the-universality-of-laws-of-nature-the/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Mathematics is not just a language. Mathematics is a language plus reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-not-just-a-language-mathematics-is-a-language-plus/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [A poet once said, "The whole universe is in a glass of wine." We will probably never know in what sense he meant that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/a-poet-once-said-the-whole-universe-is-in-a-glass-of-wine-we-will/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [I was a very shy character, always feeling uncomfortable because everybody was stronger than I, and always afraid I would look like a sissy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-was-a-very-shy-character-always-feeling-uncomfortable-because/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

[Explore all 515 Richard P. Feynman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

## More Chapters quotes

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/)

[Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/)

> [I'm as much my own master as anyone can be, without being the master of others. I can write anywhere - all I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-woods/i-m-as-much-my-own-master-as-anyone-can-be-without-being-the-master/)

[Stuart Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-woods/)

> [There are something like 300 anti-genocide chapters on college campuses around the country. It's bigger than the anti-apartheid movement. There are something like 500…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/there-are-something-like-300-anti-genocide-chapters-on-college/)

[Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/)

> [If you're feeling pain, express that to the Lord. If you're feeling worried, express those worries. One passage that gives me comfort is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/if-you-re-feeling-pain-express-that-to-the-lord-if-you-re-feeling/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [The issue of civil rights was too much for the establishment to handle. One of the chapters of history that's least studied by historians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-issue-of-civil-rights-was-too-much-for-the-establishment-to/)

[Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/)

> [I learned that you can't write a book in the margins of your life. I'd forgotten how much uninterrupted time it takes to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-learned-that-you-can-t-write-a-book-in-the-margins-of-your-life-i-d/)

[Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/)

> [If you tell me, I will leave you alone," I said. "And if you don't tell me, I am going to grab the nearest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/if-you-tell-me-i-will-leave-you-alone-i-said-and-if-you-don-t-tell-me/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Stop revisiting chapters, That you know, How they ended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aquib-ali/stop-revisiting-chapters-that-you-know-how-they-ended/)

[Aquib Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aquib-ali/)

> [Real life is a story, too, only much more complicated. It’s still got a beginning, a middle, and an end. Everyone follows the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wooding/real-life-is-a-story-too-only-much-more-complicated-it-s-still-got-a/)

[Chris Wooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wooding/)

> [Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-unnecessarily-burdened-by-the-past-go-on-closing-the/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [The agency is who it is because of many, many, many chapters that needed to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-droga/the-agency-is-who-it-is-because-of-many-many-many-chapters-that/)

[David Droga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-droga/)

> [No book is a chapter, no chapter tells the whole story, no mistake defines who we are. Hope makes our lives page turners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/no-book-is-a-chapter-no-chapter-tells-the-whole-story-no-mistake/)

[Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/)

> [I pay tribute to John Major's achievement in persuading the other 11 Community Heads of Government that they could move ahead to a Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/i-pay-tribute-to-john-major-s-achievement-in-persuading-the-other-11/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [I try to have a mood or a rhythm for a chapter,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/i-try-to-have-a-mood-or-a-rhythm-for-a-chapter/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

[Browse all 751 Chapters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapters/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What is the fundamental hypothesis of science, the fundamental philosophy? We stated it in the first chapter: the sole test of the validity of any idea is experiment. ... If we are told that the same experiment will always produce the same result, that is all very well, but if when we try it, it does not, then it does not. We just have to take what we see, and then formulate all the rest of our ideas in terms of our actual experience.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard P. Feynman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-science-the-fundamental/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chapters"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-science-the-fundamental/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/richard-p-feynman-495_chapters_what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-sc_126388.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What is the fundamental hypothesis of science, the fundamental philosophy? We stated it in the first…” — Richard P. Feynman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Richard P. Feynman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What is the fundamental hypothesis of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-science-the-fundamental/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/what-is-the-fundamental-hypothesis-of-science-the-fundamental/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
