PSC 165 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Inductive Reasoning
Document Summary
Falsifiability - feature that has so permeated scientific practice that it warrants additional clarification . Falsify - in science, the ability of a claim to be tested ad - possibly - refuted; a defining feature of science. The scientist"s goal is to be wrong. He suggested that science can be distinguished from pseudoscience because scientific claims are capable of being falsified . Did not believe there was objective theory or data. Inductive reasoning is based on probabilities (matter of degree, likeliness) A form of reasoning in which a general conclusion is inferred from a set of observations. Ex: noting that the driver in that car was texting; he just cut me off then ran a red light (specific observation), which leads to the general conclusion that texting while driving is dangerous. Deductive reasoning - general principles that are applied to specific instances (the reverse of inductive reasoning) . If general principles are true, then specific instances are true.
