(Originally written October 23, 2006 in Book 8)
Wow, nothing got done on the Bachelor Party day. It was a good day with a horrifying ending, but then my knightess in shining armor saved me and sang me to sleep.
Class Notes
Falsificationism (Popper)
Sophisticated Falsificationism
There is a bit of relativity in this, not found in naive forms of falsificationism.
1. Relativity of falsifiability
2. Ad Hoc Modifications - a modification of a theory which has no testable consequences that aren't also consequences of the unmodified theory
3. Verification in the falsificationist model
-Un-falsified bold conjectures/novel predictions
-falsification of cautious conjectures
Examples of Ad Hoc Modifications
1. Sphericity of the moon - Aristotelians vs. Copernicans (Aristotelians held that the craters on the moon were filled with clear jelly)
2. Phlogiston
3. Punctuated Equilibrium (Darwinism)
Limits of falsificationism
1. Theory dependence of observation - no absolute objectivity in science
2. Falsifications are fallible
3. Falsificationism is not recommended by the history of Science
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