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Connective Phrases and Arriving at Hypotheses

Lessons
You may have noted that for all the simple words in the language there are added long words that try to explain things that are so evident that little childen learn them too, and without the long explanations. For example, 'and' is labelled a connective, a 'logical conjuctive', and so on.
      Knowledge of Latin and Greek terms can help us identify some basic meanings of long words, but not always. There are surveys to scan here: [LINK].

Contents

Frieze
Take care: Supporting "well medleys" are presupposed throughout:

On the way to 'ergo'

Well-well?
Think "well-well" to fit in and avoid drudgery.
WE DEDUCT from premises. The conclusion word ergo means 'therefore' (because of, from things assumed, or hence). We deduct after linking assertions in certain ways. On top of that we could reach our conclusions if we can. We're helped along that road by "glue words and phrases" (connectives) that appear to knit together parts of sentences. Very commonly used connectives include "but," "and," "or," "if . . . then," and "if and only if."
       Here are types of logical connectives:
  • conjunction ("and");
  • disjunction ("or");
  • negation ("not");
  • conditional ("if ... then"), and;
  • biconditional ("if and only if").
Examples:
  1. Conjunction: "Life is short, and one plumbs it as best one can, hopefully."
  2. Conditional: "If the winter on the North pole remains mild, then there will much frost in the air."
The premises and conclusion of a syllogism are also joined by connectives, as in "All men are mortal and no gods are mortal, therefore no men are gods."

Often what we have to do is deduct from premises. Good premises have well clarified, properly specific and presumably meaningful concepts. Some concepts are perceived as particularly enlightening, others hardly so. Enlightening concepts that are taken well care of, may prevent confused dealings later, for they can limit the chances (read: odds) of interfering awkwardly and so on, if the use of syntax is felt to be right or fit enough. Thus, the art of expressing thoroughly lies in organising or stipulating this and that to get at greater lucidity. It can be taught. What we may ordinarily aspire to, are hardly maximum but optimal descriptions.


Arriving at hypotheses

Lessons
Every sentence that I utter must be understood not as an affirmation, but as a question. [Niels Bohr]
Thinking is done on various levels. Reasoning often helps those who get good at the scientific method of reasoning. The method is cumbersome, though, so it stands to reason to let others do the hard work of arriving at thoughts that explain and predict much of how things are and how they will "behave". Excellent schooling is for that, ideally, as coming up with brand new thoughts that describe things all right and work far and wide, can be hard work - hard and costy.
       On a further level it is very smart to discern between hypotheses and theories. It is done in all sciences. Hypotheses are "thrown forth" to be tested; theories are hypotheses that have passed many testings and are widely accepted too, roughly said.


Hypotheses and Similar Thinking Tools

Well-well?
Think "well-well" to fit in and avoid drudgery.
Hypothesis is from the Greek hypotithenai, to put under, suppose. It is:
  • An assumption or concession made for the sake of argument.
  • An interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action.
  • A tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences
A hypothesis implies insufficient evidence to provide more than a tentative explanation. It is linked to these terms:

Proposition: One may say a hypothesis is a proposition to be considered in a wider context, to be considered for acceptance or not through a matured verification process. Thus, a proposition may be looked on as something to be believed in, doubted, or denied - basically as something that is either true or false - but quantum physics makes that beginner's view much difficult, as quantum physics may work in an "both-and" mode too, not just the "either-or" line. [Thd]
       Theory implies a greater range of evidence and greater likelihood of truth. More loosely, a theory is a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action. Or it is a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena. It can also be a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation, and thus an unproved assumption.
       Law implies a formula-looking statement of order and relation in nature that has been found to be invariable under the same conditions. Laws that tell of a principle operating in nature, can be derived by inference from scientific data, hopefully.
       Theorem (here): A proposition of one or more ideas accepted or proposed as a demonstrable truth often as a part of a general theory.

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