Topics Science

Question what is the fundamental difference between science and non-science? aware of popper's theory of falsification, i still am unsure of how a theory can only be scientific if it can be proven false? this seems rather contradictory; what about if a scientific theory had been rigourously tested so much that it is in fact true, and cannot be proven false? thanks in advance :)

Accepted:
February 16, 2012

Comments

I'm not sure there's a fundamental difference between science and non-science. But the point about falsifiability isn't that a true theory can be proven false. It's that scientific theories can be tested, and we know what sorts of results would count against the theory in principle

Keep in mind that even a theory that's survived a long string of rigorous tests might still be overthrown. The point of the falsifiability requirement is that we know what sorts of results would count against the theory - whether or not they ever turn up.

One more point, though. It's one thing to say we know what would count against a theory. It's another to say that some particular bit of evidence would refute a theory conclusively. Things are seldom if ever that simple.