Which criterion best distinguishes science from pseudoscience?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When distinguishing science from pseudoscience, several criteria are often discussed in philosophy of science. 
Option a: Must be widely accepted by the public. In reality, scientific status does not depend on public popularity or consensus; many well-supported theories were not initially widely accepted, and pseudoscientific ideas can gain public traction without being scientifically valid.
Option b: Must be falsifiable or make testable predictions. This aligns with the principle of falsifiability popularized by Karl Popper, which states that for a claim to be scientific, it must be testable in a way that could, in principle, show it false; thus it makes predictions that can be empirically tested. This criterion helps separate testable, refutable claims from untestable assertions typical of pseudoscience.
Option c: Must have historical roots. Historical origin does not determine science; some modern scientific ideas emerged recently, while some pseudoscientific claims may invoke ancient roots; historical lineage is not a reliable discriminator.
Option d: Must align with cultural beliefs. Alignment with culture is not a hallmark of science; science seeks evidence-based explanations that may contradict cultural beliefs, and many scientifically robust theories have challenged cultural norms, showing that cultural alignment is not a defining feature.
Option e: Must use complex terminology. The use of jargon or complexity is not a criterion of science; simple, testable ideas can be scientific, whereas some pseudosciences disguise unfalsifiable claims with technical language. The essential factor is testability and falsifiability, not terminology complexity.

CCST9086_1A_2025 Quiz5

Which criterion best distinguishes science from pseudoscience?

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

Question at position 21 A researcher claims, “Dreams predict the future, but only for people who truly believe in them.” Why can’t this claim be tested scientifically?It does not have a hypothesisIt is provableIt is unethical to studyIt is not falsifiable

What are the implications of Poppers Paradox?

Based on the content of video 1.2 and the Loeb reading, which statement best reflects the way Popper and Lakatos would describe string theory?

In order for a theory to be scientific, it must be falsifiable. In other words:

A theory is said to be strong if it would be impossible to prove it is wrong.

For a concept or proposition to be a candidate for scientific theory, the concept must be capable of being proven false if it is wrong.

A theory is said to be strong if it identifies many things that will not be observed if it is correct.

To assess a theory, we must ask: What observations would be consistent with it?

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单