Science in Question: Evaluating the Role of Auxiliary Hypotheses in the Validity of Scientific Theories

An Analysis of the Case of Chemical Memory Transfer

Abstract

Rejecting a scientific theory or hypothesis is not as simple as one might think. The experimental testing of a theory requires several "auxiliary hypotheses" to "fit" the theory or hypothesis to the evidence. One can never be sure if it is a given theory rather than some auxiliary hypothesis that the experiment has falsified. This is the so-called Duhem-Quine problem or thesis, a topic not familiar among students interested in experimental science. The objective of this article is to examine the role of auxiliary hypotheses in analyzing how the Duhem-Quine problem impacts the validity of scientific theories. To illustrate this concept, the article critically analyses the experiment on memory transfer by the American biologist James McConnell. Despite McConnell’s care in creating a wide variety of groups and control procedures in his experiments, we identified that many auxiliary hypotheses may not have been considered, making it unclear whether the non-consolidation of results is due to the untruth of the memory transfer hypothesis or if one of the auxiliary hypotheses was incorrect or not adequately controlled. Lastly, we show how the Duhem-Quine problem can broaden people’s view of science and the role of experimental tests of new hypotheses and theories.