Questions related to the philosophical work of Sir Karl Popper.
4
votes
2answers
92 views
A Popper question about corroboration
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_induction#Karl_Popper
The rational motivation for choosing a well-corroborated theory is
that it is simply easier to falsify: Well-corroborated means ...
5
votes
2answers
113 views
Was Karl Popper a “dedicated opponent of all forms of scepticism”? If so, why, or how?
While reading the Wikipedia article on Karl Popper, I was surprised to find that one of the article's sources, in its lede paragraph, claims that Karl Popper was a "dedicated opponent of all forms of ...
10
votes
1answer
94 views
Does going from a singular to existential statement make it non-scientific for Popper?
In "The Logic of Scientific Discovery" (section 15) Popper argues that
an 'isolated' (a term he introduced in the English translation, which seems to be used in a very vague way) purely existential ...
-1
votes
2answers
158 views
Relation of Gödel's incompleteness theorems and Karl Popper falsification
Falsifiability is considered a positive (and often essential) quality
of a hypothesis because it means that the hypothesis is testable by
empirical experiment and thus conforms to the standards ...
4
votes
6answers
337 views
Why do we need a reason for believing that inductive method is necessarily true?
I've been a bit perplexed about the "problem" of induction.
Hume challenges other philosophers to come up with a deductive reason
for the inductive connection. If the justification of induction ...
1
vote
1answer
193 views
If we can falsify hypothesis, cant we verify them by falsifying their negation?
Some people argue that we can not verify hypothesis but we can falsify them?
I believe we can usually negate statements. So, if we can falsify statements, why cant we verify statements by falsifying ...
6
votes
1answer
127 views
Why does Popper think there are no a priori synthetic statements?
Lately I´ve been reading Poppers "Logic of Scientific Discovery" and I am especially interested in his critics of induction as a scientific method. When he trys to show that a principle of induction ...
7
votes
1answer
107 views
A good critique of Popper's “The Open Society and Its Enemies”
Can you recommend a good reference to answer the critiques in Popper's "The Open Society and Its Enemies"? I am especially interested in responses to the Marx section of the book.
8
votes
1answer
380 views
Modern responses to Popper's theory-laden observation
One of the most appealing parts of Karl Popper's philosophy for me is the idea of theory-laden observation. To provide an unjust summary: whenever you are making an observation-statement to question ...
10
votes
4answers
389 views
Is a theory that can only be disproved with an infeasable test still scientific?
If I understand Karl Popper's reasoning correctly, a theory is 'scientific' if there can be devised a test that tries to disprove it; i.e., it must be falsifiable.
Now, imagine a theory that ...
7
votes
3answers
256 views
Does Karl Popper's work address the Principle of Uniformity of Nature?
It seems to me that Popper's solution does not address the more difficult problem of induction that Hume calls the Principle of Uniformity of Nature. In other words, we might find evidence against a ...
29
votes
6answers
765 views
What basis do we have for certainty in current scientific theories?
Given there is much past scientific belief that we now know NOT to be true, what basis do we have for the seemingly increasing certainty in our scientific beliefs held today being true?
On the one ...
8
votes
1answer
405 views
What's the relevance of falsifiability in regards to logical arguments?
Is it reasonable to classify logical propositions that rely on deduction and are non-falsifiable as being inherently not worthy pursuing or does this just applies to inductive reasoning?
