Quote:
Originally Posted by Patricia
Actually, the originator of falsification as a scientific method was Professor Sir Karl Popper in 'The Logic of Scientific Discovery' [ Logic der Forschung, 1934].
It has been widely influential and C P Snow has written about how he found it a liberating way of doing science; freeing the scientist from the need to make a great breakthrough.
The point is to avoid the problem of induction. No number of scientific observations can confirm completely the hypothesis that 'All swans are white': there might always be a black one somewhere now, or one that is born tomorrow. But one single observation of a black swan is sufficient to falsify the statement. The role of science is to construct testable hypotheses and attempt to falsify them. Successful scientific theories have resisted attempts at falsification.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability |
Arrgghh.... My philosophy of science class 3 decades ago was about both to them, and I got my wires crossed. It was Popper, not Snow. Vast apologies...