Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Capable of being proven false: A statement, hypothesis, or theory is "falsifiable" if it is possible to conceive of an observation or experiment that could prove it to be incorrect. This is a core principle in the philosophy of science.
   • Testable through evidence: Refers to an idea that can be verified or refuted by empirical data, observation, or experimentation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • A good scientific theory must be falsifiable; otherwise, it is not truly scientific.
  • The hypothesis that "all swans are white" is falsifiable because finding a single black swan would disprove it.
  • The philosopher Karl Popper argued that the demarcation criterion for science is falsifiability.

Advanced Usage

• "Principle of falsifiability": A philosophical concept stating that for a theory to be considered scientific, it must be inherently disprovable before it can be accepted as a scientific theory.
  • Popper's principle of falsifiability distinguishes science from pseudoscience.

Variants and Related Words

• Falsify (verb): To alter something, like information or evidence, to deceive; or to prove a statement or hypothesis to be false.
  • He attempted to falsify the data.
  • The experiment falsified the initial hypothesis.
• Falsifiability (noun): The quality or characteristic of being falsifiable.
  • The falsifiability of a claim is central to the scientific method.

Synonyms

• Testable: Capable of being tested.
• Refutable: Capable of being proven wrong or false.
• Disprovable: Capable of being shown to be incorrect.

Antonyms

• Unfalsifiable: Not capable of being proven false.
• Irrefutable: Impossible to prove wrong; undeniable.
• Tautological: True by logical necessity, and therefore not falsifiable (e.g., "All bachelors are unmarried men").

Related Phrases and Concepts

• "Falsifiable prediction": A specific forecast derived from a theory that can be empirically tested and potentially proven wrong.
  • The theory made a falsifiable prediction about the orbit of the planet.
• "Empirically falsifiable": Capable of being proven false through direct observation or experience.
  • Astrology makes claims that are not empirically falsifiable.

Adjective

1. capable of being tested (verified or falsified) by experiment or observation