Falsificationism

1. Karl Popper was critical of inductivism (the scientific method according to the
Positivists,), and he offered an alternative to such a method: Falsificationism.
2. Popper was critical of such theories as Marism and Freudian ps!cholog!, since
these theories, could never go wrong as the! are flei"le enough to accommodate
an! data as compati"le with their theor!. #n other words, the! could not "e
falsified.
$. %n eample: &instein's theor! of general relativit! implied that ra!s of light
would "end once the! pass close to a massive o"(ect such as the sun. #f this is
true, a star would appear displaced if o"served in da!light. &ddington sought for
the displacement of a star when the sun's light was "loc)ed "! an eclipse. *is
o"servation confirmed the prediction. +he point a"out this stor! is that the
o"servation could have shown the prediction to "e incorrect, thus falsif! the
theor! of general relativit!.
,. Falsificationists admit that o"servations are guided "! theories. +he! refute the
Positivist view that science can esta"lish theories as "eing true. %ll we can sa! is
that a theor! is the "est availa"le and that it wasn't falsified (it must be
falsifiable!). -cience progresses "! trial and error, "! con(ectures and refutations.
.. % logical point in favour of Falsificationism: while induction can never logicall!
move from some o"servations to a theor! which applies to all, Falsificationism
avoids this pro"lem. % falsificationist would perform the following logical
reasoning:
i. /on(ecture: %ll ravens are "lac).
ii. 0"servations: % raven which is not "lac) was o"served.
iii. /onclusion (refutation of the con(ecture): 1ot all ravens are "lac).
2. /riterion for theories: % theor! is considered scientific if it can "e falsified.
&amples: #t never rains on 3ednesda!s (falsifia"le).
%ll su"stances epand when heated (falsifia"le).
4uc) is possi"le in sport "etting (not falsifia"le).
&ither it is raining or it is not raining (not falsifia"le).
5nli)e magnet poles attract each other (falsifia"le).
6. &ample (caricature of %dler's ps!cholog!): %dler argued that human actions are
motivated "! feelings of inferiorit! of some )ind. #magine that there is a "o!
drowning. % man, who happens to pass "!, ma! decide to (ump in the river to save
the child. From the %dlerian perspective, one could argue, that if the man (umps to
save the child, then he (umped to overcome his inferiorit!, to show that he is
"rave enough despite the danger. #f the man does not (ump, then he did so to
overcome his inferiorit! "! showing that he could sta! still, unpertur"ed, leaving
the child drowning.
7. 8% good theor! will "e one that ma)es ver! wide9ranging claims a"out the world,
and which is conse:uentl! highl! falsifia"le, and is one that resists falsification
whenever it is put to the test; (p. 2.).
&ample: i. Mars moves in an ellipse around the sun.
ii. %ll planets move in an ellipse around the sun. <