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“It would seem that the scientific revolution involved not just a progressive transformation of scientific theory, but also a transformation in what were considered to be the observable facts!”
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
“The point is that if the knowledge that provides the categories we use to describe our observations is defective, the observation statements that presuppose those categories are similarly defective.”
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
“A good scientific law or theory is falsifiable just because it makes definite claims about the world. For the falsificationist, If follows fairly readily from this that the more falsifiable a theory is the better, in some loose sense of more. The more a theory claims, the more potential opportunities there will be for showing that the world does not in fact behave in the way laid down by the theory. A very good theory will be one that makes very wide-ranging claims about the world, and which is consequently highly falsifiable, and is one that resists falsification whenever it is put to the test.”
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
“Imagine a skilled botanist accompanied by someone like myself who is largely ignorant of botany taking part in a field trip into the Australian bush, with the objective of collecting observable facts about the native flora. It is undoubtedly the case that the botanist will be capable of collecting facts that are far more numerous and discerning than those I am able to observe and formulate, and the reason is clear. The botanist has a more elaborate conceptual scheme to exploit than myself, and that is because he or she knows more botany than I do. A knowledge of botany is a prerequisite for the formulation of the observation statements that might constitute its factual basis.
Thus, the recording of observable facts requires more than the reception of the stimuli, in the form of light rays, that impinge on the eye. It requires the knowledge of the appropriate conceptual scheme and how to apply it.”
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
Thus, the recording of observable facts requires more than the reception of the stimuli, in the form of light rays, that impinge on the eye. It requires the knowledge of the appropriate conceptual scheme and how to apply it.”
― What Is This Thing Called Science?
“The theory that religion is a force for peace, often heard among the religious right and its allies today, does not fit the facts of history.”
― The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
― The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
Pick-a-Shelf
— 2444 members
— last activity 1 hour, 6 min ago
The purpose to this group is to challenge all you avid readers out there to expand your reading beyond your preferred genres. Who knows you may find s ...more
Philip K Dick
— 1701 members
— last activity Apr 12, 2024 05:44AM
Welcome to the Philip K. Dick discussion group. Have fun and be creative. Choose ALL to view all discussions.
Atheists and Skeptics
— 2215 members
— last activity Jan 26, 2026 02:44PM
This is a group meant for the discussion of atheism and skepticism and the books associated with both. Recommending books arguing for or against relig ...more
Human Origins—Explorations and Discussions in Anthropology, Biology, Archaeology, and Geology
— 675 members
— last activity Nov 27, 2024 11:08AM
An informal on-line “bulletin-board” resource for readers interested in staying abreast of the current state-of-knowledge and the latest books, techni ...more
Science and Natural History
— 1135 members
— last activity Sep 22, 2020 01:21PM
This group is for those that just can't get enough of science and the natural world. *** All books are chosen by group members *** ...more
KSVelArc’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at KSVelArc’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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