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Establishing by observation that there is just one black swan falsifies "all swans are white". This is an unexceptional and undeniable point. However, using it as grounds to support a falsificationist philosophy of science is not as straightforward as it might seem.

— Alan Chalmers What Is This Thing Called Science? (1999)

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More quotes by Alan Chalmers

Empiricism and positivism share the common view that scientific knowledge should in some way be derived from the facts arrived at by observation.

What Is This Thing Called Science? (1999)

Which facts are relevant and which are not relevant to a science will be relative to the current state of development of that science.

What Is This Thing Called Science? (1999)

A far as perception is concerned, the only things with which an observer has direct and immediate contact are his or her experiences.

What Is This Thing Called Science? (1999)

The aim of science is to falsify theories and to replace them by better theories, theories that demonstrate a greater ability to withstand tests.

What Is This Thing Called Science? (1999)

A mature science is governed by a single paradigm.

What Is This Thing Called Science? (1999)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Alan Chalmers (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.