Essay on Karl Poppers Falsifiability - 983 Words

Karl Poppers Falsifiability Sir Karl Poppers lecture was very thought provoking concerning where to draw the line. Unlike most people, the validity of the theory was not his concern as much as how that validity is determined. This is an issue that really does not get the attention that it deserves. Poppers claims concerning, When should a theory be ranked as scientific? and Is there a criterion for the scientific character or status of a theory? seems to be put together in the following summary. At first Popper seems to just be criticizing the integrity of some sciences and/or scientists who nebulously back their vague and general theories with references to observations that may be inconclusive or scanty which they†¦show more content†¦The first half of Poppers lecture seems to coincide with Thomas Kuhns historical account of science. Kuhn speaks of the old astronomical theories held and how they resemble many types of theories today. They were believed for the same reasons: they provided plausible answers to the questions that seemed important (Kuhn p.3). Kuhn, however, would agree with Popper that theories must go beyond the content of observation; that it was psychological factors that led the early scientists to group up observations into a systematic formula. Basically, with every hypothesis, conjecture, observation, etc. I have read about in Kuhn goes to every extreme to avoid any type of test that might refute their claims. The limited observations that they did make could always be interpreted into the theory. What was worse was that those observations that did not fit into the theory were viewed as only apparent observations (Kuhn p.39). Maybe this is another factor involved as to why Copernicus was revolutionary. He did not follow this precedent. Copernicus was not the only one. Many had also refuted Aristotles views concerning laws of motion (Kuhn p.83). When observable falsifying evidence is present Kuhn agrees that the conceptual scheme must then be abandoned and replaced. However, a good distinction is made here. Conceptual scheme is a much better rendering than theory. Much like what I would call a world view-the way weShow MoreRelatedTheories And Theories Of The Calms Made By Alan Chalmers907 Words   |  4 Pagesknowledge is reliable knowledge because it is objectively proven knowledge.† I will also be discussing Karl Popper’s opposing views on the scientific method, siding with his falsification method. I think that even though both sides are rational, Alan Chalmers clams are more practical and better for humans to continue to investigate new theories and laws of the universe. Therefore, I oppo se Popper’s stance on the scientific method due to it discrediting non data driven fields sciences, labelling themRead MoreThe Theory Of Science From Non Science1778 Words   |  8 Pagesfamous, influential philosophers in the 20th century, Karl Popper, includes striking ideas of his scientific view. His aim was to understand science. Popper called the problem of distinguishing science from non-science the â€Å"problem of demarcation† (Smith, 58). Popper proposed a solution to the problem, and it was the â€Å"Falsificationism†. He described endorsing a view of scientific validity based on a conception of â€Å"falsifiability.† Falsifiability is an ability to prove that hypothesis or a theory isRead MoreEssay on Karl Popper and Falsifiability1354 Words   |  6 PagesKarl Popper and Falsifiability Karl Poppers claim that the criterion of the scientific status of a theory is its falsifiability is a clearly viable statement. 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In the article, Science: Conjectures and Refutations, Karl Popper attempts to describe the criteria that a theory must meetRead MoreThe Logic Of Scientific Discovery2172 Words   |  9 PagesAs a professor of Logic and the Scientific Method at the University of London, Karl Popper translated his own original version of The Logic of Scientific Discovery, which was originally called Logik der Forschung, to English (Stuermann). One statement that he makes, even before the actual text begins, is how hard answering questions and ideas in philosophy are is compared to other fields, such as the physical sciences. Compared to a physicist, for example, that is trying to prove a point by solving