falsifiability
Capable of disproof
Falsifiability is the quality of being capable of being proven false.
In philosophy of science, a claim is falsifiable if there exists some possible observation that could contradict it.
The theory makes falsifiable predictions about planetary motion.
Karl Popper argued that falsifiability distinguishes science from pseudoscience—genuine scientific claims must risk being wrong.
A theory that explains everything, no matter what happens, explains nothing.
Falsificationist epistemologist from Vienna
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- refutabilityCapacity to be disproven
conjectures · refutations · pseudoscience · metaphysics · criterion · paradigm · corroboration
Testable proposed explanation
- predictionForecast of coming events
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
counterexample · anomaly · replicability · empirical · testable · measurable · controlled · methodology
Facts supporting truth
- disproofEvidence showing falsehood
- counterexampleInstance disproving a claim
- refutationDisproving a statement
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
corroboration · substantiation · demonstration · contradiction · negation · disconfirmation · invalidity · exception
Popper
Falsificationist epistemologist from Vienna
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
refutability · conjectures · refutations · pseudoscience · metaphysics · criterion · paradigm · corroboration
hypothesis
Testable proposed explanation
- predictionForecast of coming events
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- observationAttentive watching or remark
evidence · counterexample · anomaly · replicability · empirical · testable · measurable · controlled · methodology · data
evidence
Facts supporting truth
- disproofEvidence showing falsehood
- counterexampleInstance disproving a claim
- refutationDisproving a statement
confirmation · corroboration · substantiation · demonstration · contradiction · negation · disconfirmation · invalidity · exception
- critical thinkingcritical thinking, reasoning, logic puzzles, analysis, inference
- Philosophy & Scienceepistemology, empiricism, rationalism, scientific method, metaphysics
- Philosophy of Scienceepistemology, scientific method, hypothesis, theory, empiricism
- scientific methodexperiment, theory, data, hypothesis, observation
- Science Debatesclimate change, global warming, evolution debate, vaccine safety, creationism
- empiricismempiricism, positivism, empirical research, inductive reasoning, Vienna Circle
falsifiabilityunfalsifiability
Immunity to disproof
irrefutability · unverifiability · tautology · circular reasoning · article of faith
falsifiabilitydogma
Unchallengeable official beliefs
dogmatism · pseudoscience · faith · revelation · orthodoxy
falsifiabilitydogma
Unchallengeable official beliefs
dogmatism · blind faith · closed-mindedness · orthodoxy · fundamentalism
false, falsehood, fallacy, falsify, falsity, falseness, falsified, falsification, falsifying