"Our discussions here may have become what Thomas Kuhn (in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions) described as "incommensurable" - that is, we are not discussing the issue using common terminology."

As you know, you and I have had a respectful, reasonable, and interesting debate about this subject over the last decade on the issue of the application of the SM. I do believe the statement above is probably a true characterization of our discussions.

Definitions are important in this context and the lack of commonality may produce a discussion where we "talk past each other." I have done my best to try and understand other's arguments to hone my understanding. I do believe we are talking past each other by not using the same terminology. I have tried to use the terms and definitions in 921 (e.g., consider, formulate, uniquely consistent, valid hypothesis), but also in the Scientific Community (i.e., Information, data, and evidence).

I use FORMULATED to mean developing hypothesis with data and evidence as opposed to CONSIDERING hypotheses without data and evidence. I think we both implicitly assume that these are mutually exclusive steps in the SM. I believe we are actually both correct because the SM uses Inductive and Deductive Reasoning in iterative steps. Thus, when we have reached a reliable determination that is uniquely consistent with the available evidence using the reliable application of the SM, we have both subsequently arrived with a "valid hypothesis," based on evidence, through the consideration of "hypotheses" without data and evidence, as a prior step of the SM.

In a nut shell, considering hypotheses without data and evidence is a necessary, but insufficient condition to reach a reliable determination using the application of the SM. The methodology still requires further steps to reach a reliable determination that does involve the formulation of hypotheses with evidence. The subsequent steps do require data and evidence.

Douglas J. Carpenter, MScFPE, CFEI, PE, FSFPE
Vice President & Principal Engineer
Combustion Science & Engineering, Inc.
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