3.2.3 Falsifiability


 

Another key concept in the philosophy of science, introduced by Karl Popper, is “falsifiability.” Enjoy this brief instructional video on the concept. You can click the gear icon to adjust the speed if the host is speaking too quickly. The “Crash Course on Philosophy” series on YouTube is another helpful resource for public/continuing education, albeit for a very different learning style than the one offered by the more scholarly Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

 

Guiding Questions:
  1. Can observation be objective, with no preconceived notions, according to Popper?
  2. According to Popper, what is the difference between science and pseudoscience?
  3. What is falsifiability?
  4. Suggest an example of a hypothesis which can be refuted. How can you know whether it is probable and contingent?
  5. How do Popper’s beliefs about certainty align with Dr. Barseghyan’s lecture on absolute knowledge?

 

Video Credit: Crash Course. https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse/featured

Photo: “People’s Cyclopedia of Universal Knowledge (1883),” Phrenology diagram. Photo Credit: Wikipedia user Whbonney.

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