Karl Popper Quotes

121 quotes in 1887 categories

• Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And our…
• I think that we shall have to get accustomed to the idea that we must not look upon science as a 'body of knowledge,' but…
• It is a myth that the success of science in our time is mainly due to the huge amounts of money that have been spent…
• The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error. But science is…
• Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again.
• It is not his possession of knowledge, of irrefutable truth, that makes the man of science, but his persistent and recklessly critical quest for truth.
• The growth of our knowledge is the result of a process closely resembling what Darwin called 'natural selection'; that is, the natural selection of hypotheses:…
• Science does not rest upon solid bedrock. The bold structure of its theories rises, as it were, above a swamp. It is like a building…
• The scientific tradition is distinguished from the pre-scientific tradition by having two layers. Like the latter, it passes on its theories; but it also passes…
• Thus science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths; neither with the collection of observations, nor with the invention of experiments, but…
• In point of fact, no conclusive disproof of a theory can ever be produced; for it is always possible to say that the experimental results…
• It is easy to obtain confirmations, or verifications, for nearly every theory-if we look for confirmations. Confirmations should count only if they are the result…
• Propose theories which can be criticized. Think about possible decisive falsifying experiments-crucial experiments. But do not give up your theories too easily-not, at any rate,…
• The initial stage, the act of conceiving or inventing a theory, seems to me neither to call for logical analysis nor to be susceptible of…
• The method of science depends on our attempts to describe the world with simple theories: theories that are complex may become untestable, even if they…
• The old scientific ideal of episteme - of absolutely certain, demonstrable knowledge - has proved to be an idol. The demand for scientific objectivity makes…
• Understanding a theory has, indeed, much in common with understanding a human personality. We may know or understand a man's system of dispositions pretty well;…
• A theory is just a mathematical model to describe the observations.
• 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 is…
• I have come to the conclusion that Darwinism is not a testable scientific theory, but a metaphysical research programme...

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