Falsification is not really the simple 'single out of place fossil' idea that Dawkins suggests - that's a much-abbreviated summary of what might potentially lead to a falsification. Popper himself acknowledged that a theory cannot be falsified in isolation, and, as Quine had earlier pointed out, theories are dependent on a structure of supporting assumptions, which are themselves potentially open to falsification. In practice, we generally don't see a single contradictory case falsifying a theory (for example, the OPERA faster-than-light neutrino anomaly), we see auxiliary assumptions being challenged (in the case of OPERA, it was the experimental assumptions that were challenged and demonstrated to be false).how? do you agree with dawkins that even a single out of place fossil will falsify evolution for instance?
Upvote
0