An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

Growth through falsification

The philosopher of science Karl Popper considered the problem of induction so grave as to require the elimination of induction from the methods employed in science. He went so far as to assert that “in my view there is no such thing as induction” (Popper, 1992, 40).

In light of our discussion of inductive arguments in the previous chapter, such a proposal may sound outrageous. Surely, it might seem, we need inductive reasoning in science; it is by such reasoning that we confirm or support general propositions such as natural laws. That is how we learn from experience, fostering the growth of scientific knowledge.

Scientific knowledge does indeed grow, according to Popper. Understanding this growth is for him the central problem of the philosophy of science and of epistemology (the theory of knowledge) more generally. But he regarded the characterization of this growth in terms of induction as deeply mistaken. The belief that inductive arguments from the results of particular observations serve to confirm, support, or justify general empirical propositions – a belief we can label ‘inductivism’ – is a dangerous illusion. That inductivism is the wrong way to understand this growth can be seen most clearly, according to Popper, if we consider an alternative view, which he calls falsificationism.

The key to falsification lies in a logical asymmetry that we noted previously.