What Makes Science Science? Popper, Kuhn, and the Logic of Discovery
Science cannot prove theories true, only false. Karl Popper's falsificationism and the line between science and pseudoscience.
Steps
- 1
- Reading· ~11 min
Kuhn's Scientific Revolutions: How Science Actually Changes
Popper's vision of science as constant bold ==conjecture and refutation==, and the inconvenient historical evidence against it.
Complete the previous step first
- Reading· ~9 min
Lakatos, Feyerabend, and the Anarchist Challenge
The most sophisticated defense of scientific rationality, and the most radical attack on it.
Complete the previous step first
- Text Explore· ~8 min
Popper and Kuhn: The Core Claims
Examine the key texts from both thinkers and the tension between them.
Complete the previous step first
- Argument Map· ~10 min
The Logic and the History of Science
Map the debate from Popper through Kuhn, Lakatos, and Feyerabend.
Complete the previous step first
- Dialogue· ~10 min
Dialogue: Is Science the Only Way to Know?
Feyerabend's challenge, and what it means for the authority of scientific expertise.
Complete the previous step first
- Reflection· ~8 min
Reflection: Your Epistemological Habits
Philosophy of science is not just about scientists, it is about how any person decides what to believe.
Complete the previous step first
Complete the Reflection step in this path to rate it and share your thoughts in the comments.