An example of an analogy used to explain a scientific idea:
"Once the concept of intelligibility has been thus quantitated and elucidated at the same time, it is rather easy to construct a hypothesis concerning the intelligibly of a message after a certain number of repetitions: the mathematical theory of probability acts as a nest for the hatching of the factual hypothesis. Similarly the theoretical biologist will use physical theories for the formation of biological hypotheses and the historian may use sociological theories for the formation of historical hypotheses. This procedure, of letting a theory of a different species do the work of hatching a hypotheses, may be termed the cuckoo technique.
…Scientific hypotheses are not legitimate or illegitimate on account of their origin but in the strength of their tests, both empirical and theoretical: they are given test certificates rather than birth certificates."
Mario Bunge
Bunge, M. (2017/1998). Philosophy of Science. Volume 1: From problem to theory. Routledge. (1967)
[Please be aware that a word may have different nuances, or even a different meaning, according to context.]« Back to Index
