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The Scientific Method of Sir Karl Popper

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Rheumatoid Arthritis and Proteus

Abstract

Sir Karl Popper was one of the most influential philosophers of science in the twentieth century and probably of all time. He proposed that a scientific theory could not be proved but could be disproved or falsified. He claimed that ‘It must be possible for a scientific system to be refuted by experience. A theory that is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific. Every “good” scientific theory is a prohibition: it forbids certain things to happen. The more a theory forbids, the better it is’ (Popper 1963).

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References

  • Popper Karl R. The logic of scientific discovery. London: Hutchinson of London; 1959.

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  • Popper Karl R. Conjectures and refutations. The growth of scientific knowledge. London: London Routledge and Kegan Paul; 1963.

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  • Singer C, Underwood EA. A short history of medicine. Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press; 1962. p. 32.

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Ebringer, A. (2011). The Scientific Method of Sir Karl Popper. In: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Proteus. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-950-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-950-5_18

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