Q&A: The Importance of the Scientific Standard
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Importance of the Scientific Standard
Question
If the whole concept of something being “scientific” is really just standards of truth—that is, basically, that science is what can be falsified, and so on—and all of these, as I understand it, are just standards for proving a theory, then why is there so much disdain for theories that do not meet those standards? In the end, choosing to accept only a particular standard is just a choice. Why do we see someone who considers lower degrees of proof to be reasonable as so far-fetched?
Thank you.
Answer
First of all, who says there is disdain? Second, this standard is not something arbitrary. A theory that takes no risks and does not subject itself to tests of falsification cannot demand to be treated like a scientific theory. That is self-evident.