What Is This Thing Called Science? / Alan Chalmers
Chapter 5-7
Chapter 5: Introducing falsification
- Falsification is logical
- A hypothesis must be falsifiable
- A falsified theory must be rejected
- Science progresses by trial and error
- Theories should be clearly stated, precise and informative
- Theories are never true, although they can be superior to predecessors that have been falsified
- Science starts with problems that arise from observations
Chapter 6: Sophisticated falsification
- Hypothesis must be more falsifiable than the one it replaces
- Number of potential falsifiers is infinite
- Theory is falsified if another theory:
o Has more empirical content over old theory
o Includes unrefuted content of old theory
o New content is supported by empirical and observation
- Ad hoc modifications are unacceptable as it only reduces the number of potential falsifiers
- Modified theories that lead to new independently testable tests
- Significant advances will be marked by
o Confirmation (verification) of bold conjectures as such conjectures can falsify, some part, of the background knowledge
o Falsification of cautious conjectures
- Bold and novel are historically relative notions
Chapter 7: Limitations of falsification
- Inconsistency: evidence/observation may be at fault rather than the theory itself à no ground to reject theory
- Realistic scientific theory consists of:
o Auxiliary assumptions
o Initial conditions
- Durkheim/Quine thesis: if the prediction is false, then it is either the theory, the auxiliary assumptions or the initial conditions that are responsible for the erroneous prediction
- Theory can be protected from falsification by deflecting it to some other part of the web of assumptions
- Falsification encourages bold statements
- Need for dogmatism: do not reject theories too easily/ give into criticisms
- What is left of falsificationism once dogmatism is allowed a key role?
Other notes
- Knowledge = a conjecture/statements that are falsifiable and have not been falsified yet
- To falsify is to ask the question: can I think of an event that would falsify my theory?
Back to: What Is This Thing Called Science? / Alan Chalmers
additional summaries in philosophy of science
Some books about philosophy of science to consider:
Chapter 5-7
Chapter 5: Introducing falsification
- Falsification is logical
- A hypothesis must be falsifiable
- A falsified theory must be rejected
- Science progresses by trial and error
- Theories should be clearly stated, precise and informative
- Theories are never true, although they can be superior to predecessors that have been falsified
- Science starts with problems that arise from observations
Chapter 6: Sophisticated falsification
- Hypothesis must be more falsifiable than the one it replaces
- Number of potential falsifiers is infinite
- Theory is falsified if another theory:
o Has more empirical content over old theory
o Includes unrefuted content of old theory
o New content is supported by empirical and observation
- Ad hoc modifications are unacceptable as it only reduces the number of potential falsifiers
- Modified theories that lead to new independently testable tests
- Significant advances will be marked by
o Confirmation (verification) of bold conjectures as such conjectures can falsify, some part, of the background knowledge
o Falsification of cautious conjectures
- Bold and novel are historically relative notions
Chapter 7: Limitations of falsification
- Inconsistency: evidence/observation may be at fault rather than the theory itself à no ground to reject theory
- Realistic scientific theory consists of:
o Auxiliary assumptions
o Initial conditions
- Durkheim/Quine thesis: if the prediction is false, then it is either the theory, the auxiliary assumptions or the initial conditions that are responsible for the erroneous prediction
- Theory can be protected from falsification by deflecting it to some other part of the web of assumptions
- Falsification encourages bold statements
- Need for dogmatism: do not reject theories too easily/ give into criticisms
- What is left of falsificationism once dogmatism is allowed a key role?
Other notes
- Knowledge = a conjecture/statements that are falsifiable and have not been falsified yet
- To falsify is to ask the question: can I think of an event that would falsify my theory?
Back to: What Is This Thing Called Science? / Alan Chalmers
additional summaries in philosophy of science
Some books about philosophy of science to consider:
