Science and Hypothesis

Science and Hypothesis

Title page of first edition
Original title	La Science et l'Hypothèse
Country	France
Language	French
Subject	Science
Published	1902
Media type	Print
Text	at

Science and Hypothesis (French: La Science et l'Hypothèse) is a book by French mathematician Henri Poincaré, first published in 1902. Aimed at a non-specialist readership, it deals with mathematics, space, physics and nature. It puts forward the theses that absolute truth in science is unattainable, and that many commonly held beliefs of scientists are held as convenient conventions rather than because they are more valid than the alternatives.

In this book, Poincaré describes open scientific questions regarding the photo-electric effect, Brownian motion, and the relativity of physical laws in space. Reading this book inspired Albert Einstein's subsequent Annus Mirabilis papers published in 1905.

A new translation is forthcoming in November 2017 http://www.bloomsbury.com/au/science-and-hypothesis-9781350026773/