How to Use the Conjecture Method for Your Writing
Don’t show, don’t tell. Demonstrate.
In Mathematics and Logic, a conjecture is a conclusion or a proposition that is suspected to be true but it hasn’t been proved yet.
The suspicion can come from intuition. An intuition based on the knowledge or experience of the person who has it. The person may think that a statement is true or false and have a vague idea of how to prove it.
In the end, no matter how true or false a conjecture looks, it has to be proved.
For the experts, this can be very exciting, because conjectures are like the first line of a novel that promises an adventure.
A conjecture is a very formal — and even you can say, technical — term. But there are a lot of examples when we have an idea we think is true but we haven’t taken the time to give detailed reasons.
In fact, I have found that this is a good way to start to write a nonfiction piece. And it’s particularly great when your conjecture looks intriguing or polemic.
First, you state a conjecture, usually just a sentence. Make it provocative. Imagine you tell the statement to one of your most skeptic friends in the subject. Write it down.
