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Single Idea 19685

[filed under theme 14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 6. Falsification ]

Full Idea

Data do not quite speak for themselves, which speaks against a naive form of falsificationism according to which even the slightest mismatch between theory and evidence suffices to overturn a theory.

Gist of Idea

Falsificationism would be naive if even a slight discrepancy in evidence killed a theory

Source

Timothy McGrew (Evidence [2011], 'Interp..')

Book Ref

'Routledge Companion to Epistemology', ed/tr. Bernecker,S/Pritchard,D [Routledge 2014], p.63


A Reaction

[He cites Robert Boyle wisely ignoring some data to get a good fit for his graph]


The 10 ideas from 'Evidence'

Absence of evidence proves nothing, and weird claims need special evidence [McGrew]
Does spotting a new possibility count as evidence? [McGrew]
Narrow evidentialism relies wholly on propositions; the wider form includes other items [McGrew]
Every event is highly unlikely (in detail), but may be perfectly plausible [McGrew]
Criminal law needs two separate witnesses, but historians will accept one witness [McGrew]
Falsificationism would be naive if even a slight discrepancy in evidence killed a theory [McGrew]
Internalists are much more interested in evidence than externalists are [McGrew]
Maybe all evidence consists of beliefs, rather than of facts [McGrew]
If all evidence is propositional, what is the evidence for the proposition? Do we face a regress? [McGrew]
Several unreliable witnesses can give good support, if they all say the same thing [McGrew]