Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET
Assistant Professor in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
Science and philosophy work towards revealing the truth
about the world and the universe around us.
Both are essential for the development of the human society and the
advancement of knowledge. Scientists
design experiments and propose a hypothesis; the results of the experiments
either proves or disproves the hypothesis.
The nature of science is that any scientific hypothesis or the
experimental designs should be inherently falsifiable. Falisifiability, though,
not accepted universally, it still remains to be the basis on which the
scientific experiments are designed.
What is Falsifiability?
Karl Popper defines falsifiability as “the inherent
testability of any scientific hypothesis[1].” In other words, the claims are framed in such
a way that the tests can be constructed and proved to be false, provided the
claims are false. The hypothesis is framed such that it can be subjected to
empirical (practical) investigations and is also open to rejection by those
investigations. Thus, in order to have credibility, any hypothesis should be
inherently disprovable before it is accepted as a scientific hypothesis or
theory.
For example, if a scientist asks, "Does God exist?" then this
can never be science because it is a theory that cannot be disproved. Therefore, no theory is completely correct,
however , if it is not falsified, it may be accepted as truth.
Popper viewed falsifiability as a straightforward definition, that if a
theory is falsifiable, it is scientific, and if not, then it is
unscientific.Popper observed that a statement such as ‘there is a white swan’ cannot be used to confirm
a universal statement. The observation of one black swan can prove the
statement false. When one notices a
white swan, it can be said that “At least one swan is white.” However, it is
not possible to observe all the swans in the world and prove that all swans are
white. Thus, the statement all swans are white is testable and therefore it is
falsifiable.
Let us take an another example of Newton’s laws. Newton’s law of motion
was considered to be scientific and believed to be true as objects do not
randomly float away from the earth. Though it was observed to be true as per
the experimentation and research results, but was always subject to testing.Newton’s
laws were useful to make specific predictions regarding trajectories of
artillery shells or the orbits of planets. The predictions were found to be
true most of the time. However in the case of the orbit of Mercury, the
observations were found to contradict the prediction. Instead of being completely
rejected, this led to modification of the theory and was replaced by the theory
of relativity, which was a clarification and refinement and was still found to
be true for a greater range of observable circumstances. Because Newton’s law
made specific predictions, which were falsifiable. Hence, it was possible for
the scientist to test them and finally replace them.
Both Einstein’s theory of relativity and Newton’s laws are correct. Newton’s
theory is used in many of the engineering projects, including space project, as
Newtonian calculations are simpler. At the same time, Einstein's theory is
preferred for GPS (Global Positioning System).
Concerns Regarding the Concept of Falsifiability
There are a few considerations that should be taken into account before
proving a theory to be correct.
[1]
If there is no effort to moderate or constrict
the tendency of falsifiability, those involved in the experiments will
generally be biased towards proving the theory correct ratherthan otherwise.
[2]
Confirmations should be accepted only if they were
tested under risky predictions, i.e., a false hypothesis will not pass in a
test.
[3]
‘Good’ scientific hypothesisstates that certain
things are not allowed to happen; hence, the more that an hypothesis forbids, the
clearer will be any indication of validity.
[4]
If a
hypothesis cannot be refuted (disproved)
by any possible event, then it fails to be a scientific hypothesis.
[5]
In order to prove a hypothesis false, genuine
effort should be made to prove it false.
[6]
Confirming evidence should be taken into account
only if it is the result of complete verification of the hypothesis, though unsuccessful
attempts have been made to falsify the hypothesis.
[7]
Introducing unplanned assumptions or
re-interpreting the hypothesis may make the hypothesis as non-falsifiable but
may destroy the scientific character of the hypothesis.
Conclusions
The concept of falsifiability helps in creating theories
that can be tested and made realistic. If the falsifiable theory is accepted as
scientific truth once a theory is tested producing significant results. At the
same time, the accepted truth can be falsified based on the availability of
more resources and resources. This is the main advantage of Popper’s idea. For
example, the well-established theories like evolution, relativity, gravity, etcare
being challenged and undergoes continuous change. Since Popper defines falsifiability in strict
black and white terms, the idea of falsifiability does not consider that most
of the time science is observational and descriptive, which may be considered
as the main disadvantage of the falsifiable theory.
[1]Hypothesis is an idea or
explanation that you then test through study and experimentation. a concept
that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or
phenomena.
