Health Sciences 2801A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Paradigm Shift, Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn
24 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
The essential characteristic of a scientific hypothesis, is that it must be stated in a way that allows it to be falsified by observation. Must be expressed with enough precision that it"s possible to show that it might be wrong. A hypothesis that can be applied to every outcome is not scientific. All swans are white isn"t proven by observation of one or ten white swans. Observing a black swan will prove that this statement is false (can be falsified) Hypothesis universal statement about the world and describes all instances of something. A universal statement cannot be proven to be correct by observation, but can be falsified by observation. Believes that the philosophy of science should describe the history of science and the actual behaviour of practicing scientists. In general, scientists are reluctant to abandon a hypothesis, even when it is falsified by observation because there are two kinds of scientific activity: normal & extraordinary science.
