Science and Hypothesis

Science and Hypothesis (French: La Science et l'Hypothèse) is a book by French mathematician Henri Poincaré, first published in 1902. Aimed at a non-specialist readership, it deals with mathematics, space, physics and nature.[1][2][3] It puts forward the theses that absolute truth in science is unattainable, and that many commonly held beliefs of scientists are held as convenient conventions rather than because they are more valid than the alternatives.[4]

Science and Hypothesis
Title page of 1905 edition, with preface by Joseph Larmor
Original titleLa Science et l'Hypothèse
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
SubjectScience
Published1902
Media typePrint
TextScience and Hypothesis at Wikisource

In this book, Poincaré describes open scientific questions regarding the photo-electric effect, Brownian motion, and the relativity of physical laws in space. Reading this book inspired Albert Einstein's subsequent Annus Mirabilis papers published in 1905.

A new translation was published in November 2017.[5]

  • Science and hypothesis (1905)
    Science and hypothesis (1905)
  • Table of contents to Science and hypothesis (1905)
    Table of contents to Science and hypothesis (1905)
  • Table of contents to Science and hypothesis (1905)
    Table of contents to Science and hypothesis (1905)
  • First page of Science and hypothesis (1905)
    First page of Science and hypothesis (1905)

References
  1. Young, J. W. A. (December 16, 1904), "Poincaré's Science and Hypothesis", Scientific Books, Science, 20 (520): 833–837, Bibcode:1904Sci....20..833Y, doi:10.1126/science.20.520.833, JSTOR 1630324.
  2. De Laguna, Theodore (November 1906), "Science and Hypothesis by H. Poincaré", Reviews of Books, The Philosophical Review, 15 (6): 634–641, doi:10.2307/2177514, JSTOR 2177514.
  3. Russell, B. (July 1905), "Science and Hypothesis by H. Poincaré", Critical Notices, Mind, 14 (55): 412–418, doi:10.1093/mind/XIV.3.412, JSTOR 2248430.
  4. Lalande, André (October 1954), "From Science and Hypothesis to Last Thoughts of H. Poincaré (1854-1912)", Journal of the History of Ideas, 15 (4): 596–598, doi:10.2307/2707678, JSTOR 2707678.
  5. Science and Hypothesis, bloomsbury.com
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