DuhemQuinesatsen

DuhemQuinesatsen is a philosophical concept that combines elements of the Duhem thesis and Quine's criterion of underdetermination. The Duhem thesis, formulated by Pierre Duhem, suggests that scientific theories cannot be tested in isolation. Instead, a theory is always tested in conjunction with auxiliary hypotheses, and if an experiment yields a surprising result, it is impossible to determine whether the falsity lies with the main theory or one of the auxiliary hypotheses. W. V. O. Quine, building on this, argued that our beliefs and theories form a web or a holistic system. When faced with contradictory evidence, we can revise any part of this web to maintain consistency. This means that no single statement is immune to revision, and a theory can always be "saved" by adjusting other beliefs.

DuhemQuinesatsen, therefore, highlights the inherent difficulty in definitively falsifying scientific theories due to this interconnectedness of beliefs and the flexibility in adjusting auxiliary hypotheses or other beliefs within the system. It implies that empirical evidence alone is insufficient to uniquely determine the truth or falsity of a specific scientific hypothesis when considered within the broader context of our knowledge. This philosophical position has significant implications for the nature of scientific progress, the rationality of theory choice, and the justification of scientific knowledge, suggesting that scientific theories are not directly verifiable or falsifiable in a simple, atomic manner.