Knowledge expands when we can verify or distort a hypothesis. This is because experimental tests are designed in such a way that the hypothesis is probably a general explanation of certain facts and not an isolated case. This type of experiment is controlled, which means that the experimental structures differ only from one variable (see the miles of difference method). The experimental group is the one that receives the variable, while the control group is not. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was an English philosopher who wrote on a wide range of subjects ranging from language and science to political philosophy. The so-called „mill” methods are five rules for the search for the causes he has proposed. It has been assumed that some of these rules were in fact discussed by the famous Islamic scientist and philosopher Avicenna (980-1037). One of the main characteristics of scientific methodology is verification and falsification. Remember J.
4 that an appeal is made to Dieun if we conclude for lack of evidence that something is the case or not. While there are times when a lack of evidence should lead to a judgment that the original claim is not substantiated (as in a criminal court), this is not the case in scientific practices. Mills` methods can only reveal evidence of probable causes; they don`t really offer an explanation. The discovery of causalities is an important step towards understanding the world, but it is only part of what we need. We also need to understand how and why some cases of causation work the way they do. The answers to these questions lead us to the possibility of identifying cause-and-effect relationships. We need to develop theories and hypotheses that underpin the scientific argument. This reasoning illustrates Mill`s method of residues: many elements of a complex effect are demonstrated by reliable causal beliefs from several elements of a complex cause; All that remains of the effect must have been produced by the remnants of the cause.
Note that if we accept the truth of all the relationships of cause, this method becomes an application of the deductive argument. Although Mills` methods are an important part of the serious study of natural phenomena, they have significant constraints. These methods can only be applied with care if all relevant pre-gonal circumstances are taken into account, which cannot be guaranteed in advance. Mills methods should not come as a surprise, as these rules articulate some of the principles we use implicitly in causal reasoning in everyday life.
