Robert Boyle's Definition of a Good Hypothesis

The Requisites of a good Hypothesis are:

That It be Intelligible.

That It neither Assume nor Suppose anything Impossible, unintelligible, or demonstrably False.

That It be consistent with Itself.

That It be lit and sufficient to Explicate the Phaenomena, especially the chief.

That It be, at least, consistent, with the rest of the Phaenomena It particularly relates to, and do not contradict any other known Phaenomena of nature, or manifest Physical Truth.

The Qualities and Conditions of an Excellent Hypothesis are:

That It be not Precarious, but have sufficient Grounds In the nature of the Thing Itself or at least be well recommended by some Auxiliary Proofs.

That It be the Simplest of all the good ones we are able to frame, at least containing nothing that is superfluous or Impertinent.

That It be the only Hypothesis that can Explicate the Phaenomena; or at least, that do's Explicate them so well.

That it enable a skilful Naturailst to foretell future Phaenomena by the Congruity or Incongruity to it; and especially the event of such Experlm'ts as are aptly devis'd to examine It, as Things that ought, or ought not, to be consequent to It.

Barbara Beigun Kaplan, Divulging of useful truths in physick (1993-10-01)

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