Falsification Principle Flashcards
Who created the falsification principle?
Karl Popper
What is the falsification principle?
The Falsification Principle is a principle for assessing whether statements are genuine scientific assertions by considering whether any evidence could disprove them.
What was the university debate?
It was a debate called “Theology and Falsification” which involved Flew, Hare, and Mitchell
What is Flew’s quote?
“dies the death of a thousand qualification”
What is Flew’s example?
Wisdom’s parable - two explorers come across a clearing in a forest and debate whether it has a gardener. After tests, the believer qualifies their statement saying that the gardener is invisible and intangible. The sceptic then asks what’s the difference between this gardener and no gardener.
What’s Flew’s argument and conclusion?
Flew suggests that religious believers add qualifications to their original assertions about God until the statement becomes so different it has “died the death of a thousand qualifications”. For example, the statement “God is love” would continue to be believed despite examples of suffering; the believer qualifies the statement by adding that God loves in mysterious ways. He concludes that religious believers will not allow their beliefs to be falsified thus religious statements cannot be genuine scientific assertions.
What is a blik?
A basic unfalsifiable world view
What is Hare’s example?
Hare used the example of the insane university student who believed all the professors were intent on killing him. Despite being shown evidence to the contrary, the student will not alter his beliefs which Hare calls a “blik” (a world-view).
What’s Hare’s argument and conclusion?
Hare suggests we all hold bliks, sane or insane, right or wrong. Religious ideas are also bliks. He suggests Flew is wrong to apply scientific criteria to a blik.
What’s Mitchell’s argument and conclusion?
Disagreed with Flew and Hare. He claimed that religious believers are aware of problems that count against their faith, but they do not allow it to destroy their faith because of their personal relationship with God.
What’s Mitchell’s example?
Mitchell uses the parable of the Stranger and the resistance fighter to illustrate his point. The resistance fighter trusts the stranger, despite his ambiguous actions later, because of their first encounter.
