POSC300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Not Proven, Falsifiability
23 Oct 2018
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Using observation to judge the veracity of claims. Must be able to observe it with the senses. Rely on data and measurement to prove a point. Political science relies on knowledge obtained through objective observation, experimentation, and logical reasoning. Goal is to use this knowledge to construct theories that explain political phenomena or vice versa. Focus on what is, not what should be. Don"t let normative values affect your research. Research methods must be explicit so others can replicate your. Acceptance of rejection of a statement must be influence by observation. Just because its said, doesn"t mean its true. Just because its intuitive, doesn"t mean its true. Just because it furthers your interest, doesn"t mean its true. Just because its a long held belief, doesn"t make it true. A scientific statement is one thing that could possibly be proven wrong by discrediting evidence. A statement that could never be refuted by a conceivable observation is non-scientific.
