Reflections on Hypothesis Testing in Response to Ulrich

Abstract

Hypothesis testing, like any paradigm, is not a formula for judging debates but an attempt normatively to model the nature of argumentation itself. Once the nature of the paradigm is understood, Ulrich's two attempts at ad hominem refutation fall short. Probable inference is not a “lower” standard for truth, but the only standard humans can attain. And the claim that hypothesis testing is internally inconsistent proceeds from misunderstanding of what hypothesis is advanced about the model. Final comments address the role of paradigms in argumentation theory and practice.