Accounts Quote by Karl Popper
“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 guesses are guided by the unscientific, the metaphysical (though biologically explicable) faith in laws, in regularities which we can uncover-discover. Like Bacon, we might describe our own contemporary science-'the method of reasoning which men now ordinarily apply to nature'-as consisting of 'anticipations, rash and premature' and as 'prejudices'.”
About This Quote
Science progresses through conjecture and refutation, not through absolute certainty; its methods are provisional and shaped by underlying metaphysical assumptions.
In simple terms: Science is provisional and guided by assumptions.
Key Takeaway
Science is a tentative, self‑correcting process.
Themes
Epistemology
Methodology
Philosophy of Science
Uncertainty
Metaphysics
Mood
Reflective
Critical
Type
Philosophical
Analytical
When to use this quote
- Designing research programs
- Evaluating scientific claims
- Teaching philosophy of science
Key Concepts
Conjecture
Refutation
Fallibilism
Heuristics
Practical Applications
- Developing robust experimental designs
- Encouraging critical peer review
Questions to Reflect On
- How does acknowledging uncertainty improve scientific practice?
- What role do underlying metaphysical beliefs play in shaping research agendas?
![“[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)
