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Falsifiability
Eugene Thomas (gthomas@oavax.csuchico.edu)
22 Oct 1995 19:32:29 GMT
Although I have taught lessons about scientific method on a number of
occasions, "falsifiability" is new to me. From context, I gather that
to be acceptable to the scientific community, a model (I use the word
"model" to avoid the apparent emotional charge of "theory", "hypothesis"
and "speculation".) must must be accompanied by statements of tests which
can be performed. I have tried to find a beginning science text which
might present this idea at an introductory level. I have failed. I also
attempted to look at histories of science. Since one of the posts
(Duncan?) identified the laws of motion as the opposite pole to
speculation with hypotheses and theories somewhere between, I thought
that Galileo's theory of gravity might be a good place to start. No
luck! I also tried Thomson's model of the atom and Hoyle's model of the
universe. Frustrated with the history of science sources, and thinking
that "falsifiability" might be more recent or unique to anthropology, I
tried something more recent - and in the field of anthropology. I looked
up Dean Falk's Science article on blood circulation and the cooling of
the brain. Again, a statement of how the model might be falsified seemed
absent. I am acutely aware of the admonitions to this group to provide
references and to do their own work, but I do want what I teach to be the
best that it can be. I have never written to the group before - can
anybody help me with a text reference and/or a literature reference?
Thank you.
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