cáfolhatósága

Cáfolhatósága is a Hungarian term that translates to "falsifiability" in English. It is a fundamental concept in the philosophy of science, most famously articulated by the philosopher Karl Popper. Falsifiability refers to the principle that for a theory or hypothesis to be considered scientific, it must be capable of being proven false through observation or experimentation. In other words, there must be a conceivable empirical test that could potentially contradict the theory.

A theory that cannot be disproven, regardless of any evidence presented, is considered unfalsifiable. Such theories fall outside the realm of science because they do not make specific predictions about the world that can be tested. For example, a scientific theory might predict that a specific chemical reaction will occur under certain conditions. If that reaction does not occur when the conditions are met, the theory is falsified. In contrast, a statement like "all swans are white" is falsifiable because observing a single black swan would disprove it.

The criterion of falsifiability serves as a demarcation between scientific and non-scientific claims. It helps to distinguish genuine scientific inquiry from pseudoscience, dogma, or metaphysical speculation, which often present themselves as empirically verifiable but lack the possibility of being refuted. The process of scientific advancement, according to Popper, involves proposing falsifiable hypotheses and then attempting to refute them. Theories that withstand these attempts at falsification are provisionally accepted, while those that are falsified are either modified or discarded.