Chances are you’ve heard of the TV show The Big Bang Theory . Lots of people love this lighthearted sitcom for its quirky characters and their relationships, but others haven’t even given the series a chance for one reason: they don’t like science and assume the show is boring.
However, it only takes a few seconds with Sheldon and Penny to disprove this assumption and realize that this theory ab0ut The Big Bang Theory is wrong—it isn’t a scientific snoozefest.
But wait: is it a theory or a hypothesis about the show that leads people astray? And would the actual big bang theory— the one that refers to the beginning of the universe—mean the same thing as a big bang hypothesis ?
Let’s take a closer look at theory and hypothesis to nail down what they mean.
As a noun, a theory is a group of tested general propositions “commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena .” This is what is known as a scientific theory , which by definition is “an understanding that is based on already tested data or results .” Einstein’s theory of relativity and the theory of evolution are both examples of such tested propositions .
Theory is also defined as a proposed explanation you might make about your own life and observations, and it’s one “whose status is still conjectural and subject to experimentation .” For example: I’ve got my own theories about why he’s missing his deadlines all the time. This example refers to an idea that has not yet been proven.
There are other uses of the word theory as well.
First recorded in 1590–1600, theory originates from the Late Latin theōria , which stems from the Greek theōría. Synonyms for theory include approach , assumption , doctrine , ideology , method , philosophy , speculation , thesis , and understanding .
Hypothesis is a noun that means “a proposition , or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation” that describe “some specified group of phenomena.” Sounds familiar to theory , no?
But, unlike a theory , a scientific hypothesis is made before testing is done and isn’t based on results. Instead, it is the basis for further investigation . For example: her working hypothesis is that this new drug also has an unintended effect on the heart, and she is curious what the clinical trials will show .
Hypothesis also refers to “a proposition assumed as a premise in an argument,” or “mere assumption or guess.” For example:
Hypothesis was first recorded around 1590–1600 and originates from the Greek word hypóthesis (“basis, supposition”). Synonyms for hypothesis include: assumption , conclusion , conjecture , guess , inference , premise , theorem , and thesis .
Although theory in terms of science is used to express something based on extensive research and experimentation, typically in everyday life, theory is used more casually to express an educated guess.
So in casual language, theory and hypothesis are more likely to be used interchangeably to express an idea or speculation .
In most everyday uses, theory and hypothesis convey the same meaning. For example:
It’s important to remember that a scientific theory is different. It is based on tested results that support or substantiate it, whereas a hypothesis is formed before the research.
For example:
In these examples, theory “doesn’t mean a hunch or a guess,” according to Kenneth R. Miller, a cell biologist at Brown University. “A theory is a system of explanations that ties together a whole bunch of facts. It not only explains those facts, but predicts what you ought to find from other observations and experiments.”
So if you have a concept that is based on substantiated research, it’s a theory .
But if you’re working off of an assumption that you still need to test, it’s a hypothesis .
So remember, first comes a hypothesis , then comes theory . Now who’s ready for a Big Bang Theory marathon?
Now that you’ve theorized and hypothesized through this whole article … keep testing your judgment (Or is it judgement?). Find out the correct spelling here!
Or find out the difference between these two common issues below!
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Psychedelic research has experienced a renaissance in recent years, but as the scientific community reconsiders psilocybin's potential to treat addiction and psychiatric disturbance , where does that leave the stoned ape theory ? Did psychedelics stimulate human consciousness?
First proposed by 20th century ethnobotanist Terence McKenna (1946-2000) in his 1992 book " Food of the Gods ," the basic concept is that the consumption of psychedelic fungi may have played a crucial role in the development of human mind and culture.
According to the author's younger brother Dennis McKenna, the idea emerged out of conversations between the two. Dennis is himself an ethnopharmacologist and research pharmacognosist, as well as founder of the McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy .
A 40,000-year-old 'creative explosion', back to the pleistocene, the magic enhancement of adaptive qualities, the debatable nature of conciousness.
"For a while I had the idea to write a book that would have been called 'Hallucinogens and Evolution,' but never got around to it," Dennis says via email. "While Terence's approach is different from what I would have written, there are complementarities. Terence's ideas were certainly fertilized by those conversations."
Neither Terence nor Dennis referred to this hypothesis by the name "stoned ape," which Dennis believes misrepresents the idea and dumbs down the concept. In essence, the hypothesis suggests we owe the emergence of language, self-reflection and other unique functions of the human brain to ancient ancestors who ate psilocybin mushrooms.
The exact timeline for the emergence of consciousness varies, but Dennis believes the process may have begun as far back as 2 million years ago.
"We know the brain tripled in size about 2 million years ago, and probably the ecosystems which put hominids, cattle and mushrooms together were around that old," Dennis says, referring to the dung from which psilocybin mushrooms emerge.
According to Dr. Thomas Falk, a professor of Philosophy and Education at the University of Dayton, the hypothesis also provides an explanation for the so-called "creative explosion" that occurred 40,000 years ago in homo sapiens , prior to their migration from Africa to Europe.
It is here that we see an apparent leap in cognitive ability for early humans.
"For the first time ever, these humans lived in worlds of their own creation, materially and symbolically," Falk says via email. "Like you and I, these humans were capable of creating worlds in their heads and then re-creating those worlds in the external physical and social environments. Although other homo species may have efficiently exploited nature, they remained its passive subjects. The key to this major distinction between homo sapiens sapiens and all other hominids appears to be language ."
Falk, whose areas of study include phenomenology and anthropology, says that while we have no shortage of good evidence and theory regarding the course of human evolution , the leap to self-consciousness remains a mystery.
"The stoned ape hypothesis offers a possible keystone that appears to fit together with much of the existing scientific evidence and theory," he says, though he stresses that this is only one possible answer.
In "Food of the Gods," Terence McKenna made his argument based on noted qualities of the psychedelic experience (such as augmented empathy and sensory perception), shamanistic traditions in ancient cultures, and the known and hypothetical range of psychedelic plants and fungi in ancient times.
The journey takes us back to the Pleistocene epoch, stretching between 2.6 million and 11,700 years ago, which saw major changes in climate . The changes would have put our ancestors on the move through new, challenging and bountiful environments.
"This would likely have entailed major experimentation," Falk explains, "much of which would have been harmful, and some of which would have been mutagenic, leading to epigenetic changes. This does not mean that new foods would have altered the hominid genome, but rather that they would have affected the expression of genes that were already present, thus changing our ancestors physiologically, neurochemically and culturally."
Thus, Terence presented an interpretation in which our ancestors would have followed herds of cows and other herbivores, depending on them for food and clothing, but also harvesting fungus from their dung (where psilocybin mushrooms commonly grow).
The regular consumption of these psychedelic mushrooms could have proven advantageous as early humans spread out into new territory.
"Psychedelic mushrooms appear advantageous for adaptation to new circumstances because they de-pattern the mind/brain, alter modes of perception and induce synaesthesia," Falk says. "Terence McKenna and mycologist Paul Stamets argue that these mushrooms may have allowed our ancestors to forge connections between sounds, symbols and meanings, which is the essence of 'the creative explosion': human language, symbol manipulation and communication."
Terence also argued that psilocybin would have increased visual acuity at low doses, increased sex drive and enhanced cooperation — all factors that could have proven adaptive to our ancestors.
Stamets, a vocal supporter of the theory, has also pointed out the leadership qualities that would have resulted from the mix of bravery and empathy brought on by these substances.
Written during what is sometimes described as the dark age of psychedelic research, "Food of the Gods" argued that the criminalization of psychedelic substances and lack of research into their powers paradoxically cut human beings off from an important aspect of their ascendency.
Terence was no stranger to wild personal anecdotes of psychedelic experience, and even wilder contemplations on the nature of reality. Yet while the book is full of the author's signature wit and vision, it is also, in the words of science writer John Horgan , a serious work that presents a rigorous argument.
"Rereading it after nearly 30 years, I remain impressed by how thoughtful it is," Dennis says, who wrote a new foreword for the book. "It's not heavily referenced but the key references are there. I think it was a credible piece of scholarship. The very idea invites derision and ridicule, and there was plenty of that by reviewers and others. But I think much of it betrays that many who criticized it never actually read it, or read it only superficially. Thirty years later, the idea has more support than ever based on what has been learned since."
In his 2018 book " How to Change Your Mind ," Michael Pollan called Terence McKenna's 1992 book "the epitome of all mycocentric speculation," stressing that its very premise is not susceptible to proof or disproof.
The stoned ape theory is simply not the sort of hypothesis that can be taken up by a scientific study. It involves the emergence and nature of consciousness, as well as the true potential of psychedelic compounds — all subjects rife with their own mysteries.
However, it's not the only possible explanation on the table.
"Human intelligence/consciousness appears to have been an emergent phenomenon," Falk says. "That is, there were many evolutionary factors, likely unrelated, that nevertheless entered into random combination and in so doing created a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts."
Changes in environment forced societal changes to ensure survival, and these societal changes demanded upgrades in mental capacity. Fire mastery and the emergence of cooking technology improved nutrition and made room for greater cultural and societal advancement.
Dennis, however, stresses that the stoned ape hypothesis is not meant to stand as the lone factor in human evolution.
"Obviously there were multiple factors involved," he says. "It's simplistic just to postulate that people ate mushrooms, so they were better equipped. There were many factors that influenced evolution."
The stoned ape theory gained little traction in academic circles, but it became a staple of psychedelic culture. Among its most notable advocates is mycologist Paul Stamets, who along with Dennis, points to scientific advancements in fields such as epigenetic inheritance and neuroplasticity that may further explain the mechanisms involved in psychedelics-assisted cognitive advancement.
The stoned ape theory is not likely to leap to the level of scientific theory in the foreseeable future, but the sort of modern psychedelic reconnection that Terence McKenna and others advocated might well come to pass — especially as more studies examine potential therapeutic uses. Dennis says:
This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
Around 200 species of Psilocybe mushrooms are found around the world and may be represented in the art of ancient humans. The psychotropic tryptamines psilocybin and psilocin are responsible for the altered states of awareness that we refer to as the psychedelic experience.
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The meaning of HYPOTHESIS is an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument. How to use hypothesis in a sentence. The Difference Between Hypothesis and Theory Synonym Discussion of Hypothesis.
A hypothesis is an assumption made before any research has been done. It is formed so that it can be tested to see if it might be true. A theory is a principle formed to explain the things already shown in data. Because of the rigors of experiment and control, it is much more likely that a theory will be true than a hypothesis.
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A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested by scientific research. If you want to test a relationship between two or more variables, you need to write hypotheses before you start your experiment or data collection.
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hypothesis, something supposed or taken for granted, with the object of following out its consequences (Greek hypothesis, "a putting under," the Latin equivalent being suppositio ). Kara Rogers, senior biomedical sciences editor of Encyclopædia Britannica, discussing the difference between a scientific hypothesis and a scientific theory ...
HYPOTHESIS meaning: 1. an idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has not yet been proved…. Learn more.
A hypothesis is a statement that explains the predictions and reasoning of your research—an "educated guess" about how your scientific experiments will end.
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A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for an observation. The definition depends on the subject. In science, a hypothesis is part of the scientific method. It is a prediction or explanation that is tested by an experiment. Observations and experiments may disprove a scientific hypothesis, but can never entirely prove one.
A research hypothesis, in its plural form "hypotheses," is a specific, testable prediction about the anticipated results of a study, established at its outset. The research hypothesis is often referred to as the alternative hypothesis.
What Is a Hypothesis? Merriam Webster defines a hypothesis as "an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument." In other words, a hypothesis is an educated guess. Scientists make a reasonable assumption--or a hypothesis--then design an experiment to test whether it's true or not. Keep in mind that in science, a hypothesis should be testable. You have to be able to design an ...
Research begins with a research question and a research hypothesis. But what are the characteristics of a good hypothesis? In this article, we dive into the types of research hypothesis, explain how to write a research hypothesis, offer research hypothesis examples and answer top FAQs on research hypothesis. Read more!
A hypothesis is a prediction of what will be found at the outcome of a research project and is typically focused on the relationship between two different variables studied in the research. It is usually based on both theoretical expectations about how things work and already existing scientific evidence. Within social science, a hypothesis can ...
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Hypothesis is a hypothesis isfundamental concept in the world of research and statistics. It is a testable statement that explains what is happening or observed. It proposes the relation between the various participating variables.
A hypothesis is either a suggested explanation for an observable phenomenon, or a reasoned prediction of a possible causal correlation among multiple phenomena. In science, a theory is a tested, well-substantiated, unifying explanation for a set of verified, proven factors. A theory is always backed by evidence; a hypothesis is only a suggested possible outcome, and is testable and falsifiable.
Types of Hypotheses. There are primarily two types of hypotheses: the null hypothesis (H0) and the alternative hypothesis (H1). The null hypothesis posits that there is no effect or no difference between groups, serving as a baseline for comparison. Conversely, the alternative hypothesis suggests that there is an effect or a difference.
What is Hypothesis? Hypothesis is a prediction of the outcome of a study. Hypotheses are drawn from theories and research questions or from direct observations. In fact, a research problem can be formulated as a hypothesis. To test the hypothesis we need to formulate it in terms that can actually be analysed with statistical tools.
It's important to remember that a scientific theory is different. It is based on tested results that support or substantiate it, whereas a hypothesis is formed before the research. For example: His hypothesis for the class science project is that this brand of plant food is better than the rest for helping grass grow.
Solutrean tools created using bifacial percussion flaking. The most important and distinctive characteristic of Solutrean lithic techniques is the bifacial percussion-flaked points present in most Solutrean artifacts. This characteristic provides the primary foundation for evidence in support of the Hypothesis, as Solutrean and Clovis points share this commonality.
Neither Terence nor Dennis referred to this hypothesis by the name "stoned ape," which Dennis believes misrepresents the idea and dumbs down the concept. In essence, the hypothesis suggests we owe the emergence of language, self-reflection and other unique functions of the human brain to ancient ancestors who ate psilocybin mushrooms.