cáfolhatóság

Cáfolhatóság, often translated as falsifiability, is a core concept in the philosophy of science. It refers to the principle that a scientific hypothesis or theory must be inherently disprovable. In other words, there must be some conceivable observation or experiment that could show the hypothesis to be false. If a statement cannot be falsified, it is not considered scientific according to this criterion.

The idea of falsifiability is most strongly associated with the philosopher Karl Popper. He argued that the demarcation between science and non-science lies not in verifiability (proving something true) but in falsifiability. A scientific theory, for Popper, is one that makes specific predictions that can be tested against reality. If these predictions consistently fail, the theory must be revised or rejected. This process of attempting to falsify theories drives scientific progress, as it helps to eliminate incorrect ideas and refine our understanding of the world.

For example, the statement "All swans are white" is falsifiable because one could potentially observe a non-white swan. If such a swan were found, the hypothesis would be disproven. Conversely, a statement like "It will rain or it will not rain" is unfalsifiable because it is always true, regardless of the weather. This lack of predictive power means it offers no scientific insight. The concept of falsifiability is crucial for distinguishing empirical science from pseudoscience, metaphysical claims, or purely logical tautologies.