The Logic of Scientific Discovery

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   A theory is not scientific because it can be confirmed by examples, but because it could, in principle, be proven wrong by a clear test.

   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.

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