<b>Against skepticism: Johannes Kepler's theory of hypothesis
Abstract
During the 16th century, a skeptical approach on the status of astronomical hypothesis was widely spread among Lutheran communities and particularly among the astronomers belonging to those communities. Astronomical hypotheses were conceived as mere devices to save appearances (calculation tools), much more than entities to describe the real structure of the universe. Towards the end of century, Johannes Kepler hardly attacks this kind of skepticism. In his Apologia pro Tychone contra Ursum, the young Kepler introduces a set of fresh ideas concerning the nature of astronomical hypothesis as part of a strategy deployed against skepticism. I suggest that a new theory of hypothesis underlies Kepler's strategy.
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