D Coda

Hypothesis-based reasoning has many advantages for scientific thinking and practice. The range runs from quantitative applications to qualitative principles. Statistical theory suggests that hypothesis-based work can avoid many of the more egregious pitfalls that lead to irreproducible science.

In the next chapter, I present data from two surveys that I conducted to find out how scientists themselves view the hypothesis and how they use it in their written work. In Chapter 10, I review and critique the work of three authors who disagree that the hypothesis has any advantages and argue that science can dis­pense with it.