Syd-1-772453 OP t1_ja8q9xd wrote on February 27, 2023 at 5:58 PM

Reply to comment by ThrowawayPhysicist1 in Hypothesis on dark matter and dark energy using a water as a reference. by Syd-1-772453

I disagree with the hypothesis definition, when I look it up it says: "Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation; an assumption."

"A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation."

You have an excellent point otherwise. Thank you.

ThrowawayPhysicist1 t1_ja8r20e wrote on February 27, 2023 at 6:03 PM

The second is closer to the modern scientific definition. And the part that’s problematic is “tested by further observation”. You’ve given a pretty vague analogy that can’t be (reasonably) tested because it isn’t really a full fledged idea. I can ask something like “what if dark matter is made of the souls of the damned” but unless I present a clear idea of what that means (clear enough to obtain potential effects) it’s not really science in the modern sense.