Author
Karl Popper
2 reading cards from 2 books · 1934.
2 cards
The Logic of Scientific Discovery · 1934
A theory is scientific if it can be falsified by a clear test, not just confirmed.
Popper noticed that anyone can easily find evidence that seems to confirm their ideas, even wrong ones. What separates science from pseudoscience is that a scientific theory risks something: it clearly states what observation could destroy it. A theory that can never be proven wrong is not truly testable.
Logica cercetării · 1934
Popper proposes a demarcation criterion between science and pseudoscience: a theory is scientific if there is a test that could refute it. Theories that cannot be wrong, such as astrology or classical psychoanalysis, are not scientific. For example, the statement 'all swans are white' can be refuted by a black swan, whereas 'the universe has a purpose' cannot be tested.
“A system is part of empirical science only if it can be refuted by experience.”