Rrhain,
Couldn't have put it better myself. I used to think that there was a heirarchy involved, with hypothesis giving way to theory, which in turn became a law. The term "law" is almost an anachronism when it comes to science today. The term theory as it is currently understood in science today far better fits the bill. I see the "laws" simply as a terms that are equal to "theories".
In the days of yesteryear there was an almost fanatical push to discover the "rules", as it were. Once discovered, they were termed laws, a moniker they retain even if they are subsequently found not to be entirely true.
Mark
"Physical Reality of Matchette’s EVOLUTIONARY zero-atom-unit in a transcendental c/e illusion" - Brad McFall