HPS100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Falsifiability
19 Jan 2018
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Some scientific theories are accepted in our mosaic, others are not accepted yet, but still scientific and some are just not scientific. An empirical theory is scientific if: it is based on experience (extremely vague, pick and choose events) Explains all the facts of its domain (this explanation is incorrect) Better = it explains, by and large, the known facts of its domain. And if it is testable (falsifiable) at least in principle (excludes options) Scientific theory- all accepted empirical theories of the time attempted to grasp the natures of things in their respective domains. Unscientific theory- mechanics was considered a craft, not science, it was used but not accepted. If we dismiss past science as non-scientific, we have to be prepared for our science to be dismissed as non-scientific by future generations to come. It is silly to change our method as it will be continued and affect our accepted science.
