I have come to the conclusion that Darwinism is not a testable scientific theory, but a metaphysical research programme... — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
“Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.” — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Science is perhaps the only human activity in which errors are systematically criticized and, in time, corrected. — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The difference between the amoeba and Einstein is that, although both make use of the method of trial and error elimination, the… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
I am opposed to looking upon logic as a kind of game. ... One might think that it is a matter of… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
It is the rule which says that the other rules of scientific procedure must be designed in such a way that they… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
It is not his possession of knowledge, of irrefutable truth, that makes the man of science, but his persistent and recklessly critical… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
But it is certainly not possible to insist on one hand that the formalism is complete and to insist on the other… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
[The aim of science is] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature.… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Evolution is not a fact. Evolution doesn't even qualify as a theory or as a hypothesis. It is a metaphysical research program,… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The scientific tradition is distinguished from the pre-scientific tradition by having two layers. Like the latter, it passes on its theories; but… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Is the world ruled by strict laws or not? This question I regard as metaphysical. The laws we find are always hypotheses;… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
[Great scientists] are men of bold ideas, but highly critical of their own ideas: they try to find whether their ideas are… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
To give a causal explanation of an event means to deduce a statement which describes it, using as premises of the deduction… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
“The discovery of instances which confirm a theory means very little if we have not tried, and failed, to discover refutations. For… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The metaphysical doctrine of determinism simply asserts that all events in this world are fixed, or unalterable, or predetermined. It does not… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Understanding a theory has, indeed, much in common with understanding a human personality. We may know or understand a man's system of… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The growth of our knowledge is the result of a process closely resembling what Darwin called 'natural selection'; that is, the natural… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error.… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
“We all have an unscientific weakness for being always in the right, and this weakness seems to be particularly common among professional… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
“Every time we proceed to explain some conjectural law or theory by a new conjectural theory of a higher degree of universality,… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Thus science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths; neither with the collection of observations, nor with the invention… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The initial stage, the act of conceiving or inventing a theory, seems to me neither to call for logical analysis nor to… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
There can be no ultimate statements science: there can be no statements in science which can not be tested, and therefore none… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The old scientific ideal of episteme - of absolutely certain, demonstrable knowledge - has proved to be an idol. The demand for… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error. — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
But some of these theories are so bold that they can clash with reality: they are the testable theories of science. And… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
There will be well-testable theories, hardly testable theories, and non-testable theories. Those which are non-testable are of no interest to empirical scientists.… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Some scientists find, or so it seems, that they get their best ideas when smoking; others by drinking coffee or whisky. Thus… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
It is a myth that the success of science in our time is mainly due to the huge amounts of money that… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The influence (for good or ill) of Plato's work is immeasurable. Western thought, one might say, has been Platonic or anti-Platonic, but… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
In point of fact, no conclusive disproof of a theory can ever be produced; for it is always possible to say that… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
“As indicated by our example, methodological nominalism is nowadays fairly generally accepted in the natural sciences. The problems of the social sciences,… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The method of science depends on our attempts to describe the world with simple theories: theories that are complex may become untestable,… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Bold ideas, unjustified anticipations, and speculative thought, are our only means for interpreting nature: our only organon, our only instrument, for grasping… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Psychologism is, I believe, correct only in so far as it insists upon what may be called 'methodological individualism' as opposed to… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
“As indicated by our example, methodological nominalism is nowadays fairly generally accepted in the natural sciences. The problems of the social sciences, on the… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Science is perhaps the only human activity in which errors are systematically criticized and, in time, corrected. — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the verifiability but… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Bold ideas, unjustified anticipations, and speculative thought, are our only means for interpreting nature: our only organon, our only instrument, for grasping her. And… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
[The aim of science is] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
There can be no ultimate statements science: there can be no statements in science which can not be tested, and therefore none which cannot… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
Evolution is not a fact. Evolution doesn't even qualify as a theory or as a hypothesis. It is a metaphysical research program, and it… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
I am opposed to looking upon logic as a kind of game. ... One might think that it is a matter of choice or… — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error. — Karl Popper Copy Share Image
![“[The aim of science is] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task of empirical science constantly renews itself. We may go on forever, proceeding to explanations of a higher and higher universality...” quote by Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f4e/karl-popper-2167_aim_the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so_121944.jpg)
![“[Great scientists] are men of bold ideas, but highly critical of their own ideas: they try to find whether their ideas are right by trying first to find whether they are not perhaps wrong. They work with bold conjectures and severe attempts at refuting their own conjectures.” quote by Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eb7/karl-popper-2167_conjecture_great-scientists-are-men-of-bold-ideas-b_1147559.jpg)
