Duty Quote by Thomas Huxley
“It is the first duty of a hypothesis to be intelligible.”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Evolutionary Biology, 1885
A hypothesis must be clear and understandable to be useful.
In simple terms: Hypotheses need to be intelligible.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize clarity when forming ideas.
Themes
science
communication
logic
methodology
Mood
analytical
instructive
Type
educational
scientific
When to use this quote
- research proposals
- academic writing
- public science communication
- policy making
Key Concepts
philosophy of science
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you test a hypothesis’s clarity?
- What tools aid in simplifying complex ideas?
A Different Perspective
Complex language can obscure meaning.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
