HPS100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Cherry Picking, Pseudoscience, Testability
11 Oct 2018
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Questions: what is the difference between science and non-science, what are the characteristics of a scientific theory, what are the characteristics of the process of scientific change. Theories: demarcation criteria: a theory can be unaccepted but scientific (e. g. newtonian physics, an empirical theory is scientific if: It is based on experience: this is false because "based on experience" is extremely vague for it allows for cherry-picking only favorable evidence. It is important that theories are testable regardless of whether we have the technology to test a theory: a theory takes risk! Begs the questions such that you can confirm or disapprove theories: aristotelian demarcation criteria: in empirical science, a theory is scientific if it attempts to uncover the nature of a thing. Changing criteria of demarcation: many once-accepted theories are nowadays considered unscientific or pseudoscientific (e. g. astrology)
