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Karl Popper
Karl Popper was an influential philosopher in the 20th century. He was born on July 28th, 1902 in Vienna, Austria. Living a fulfilling life well known for his proposal of falsification and sharing various other analysis related to scientific discoveries. Growing up he lived with both of his parents and two older sisters. In November of 1918 Popper began studying at the University of Vienna, taking classes he thought would interest him. Little did he know this would change his life. -
Curiosity Begins
During this period Popper was attending the University of Vienna when he gained knowledge and curiosity about Albert Einstein's theory with the stars and gravity. Arthur Eddington put together a trip to observe a solar eclipse to see if Einstein's theory was true. What inspired Popper was when Einstein explained if the examination of the hypothesis fails then the conclusion will not permit. This is when Popper started his journey in comparing other scientists which had an impactful aftermath. -
Dissatisfaction with Marxism Theory
Popper questioned Marxism Theory because it did not seek the truth; rather it pursued what a theory preferred he found. Followers of this type of science didn't want the true facts. Instead, they wanted to believe what they entailed by using only verification within the research. This was what Popper called pseudoscience. What's the difference between science and pseudoscience? Science uses data that disproves a theory rather than proving. Hypothesis that are proven wrong create accurate ones. -
Final Conclusion
Winter of 1919-1920 was when Popper finally came to a conclusion after examining the geniality of various scientific methods scientist have used. He stated, "One can sum up all this by saying that the criterion of the scientific status of a theory is its falsifiability, or refutability, or testability." Explaining the differences between Einstein and Marxist theory helped provide support for this accusation. -
The Logic of Discovery
Logik der Forschung or The Logic of Discovery, is a book Popper had released that changed science forever. This exposed scientists that believed in logical positivism; using only data that supported a theory instead of data against it. Popper explained that falsification is a key step in the scientific method because it makes science honest. "No number of sightings of white swans can prove the theory that all swans are white. The sighting of just one black one may disprove it." -
Citations
"Karl Popper." Famous Scientists. famousscientists.org. 2 Sep. 2016. Web. 4/20/2019 <www.famousscientists.org/karl-popper/> Karl Popper, Conjectures and Refutations, London: Routledge and Keagan Paul, 1963, pp. 33-39; from Theodore Schick, ed., Readings in the Philosophy of Science, Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000, pp. 9-13.