| Alistair 2005-12-14, 6:55 pm |
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Oliver Wong wrote:
> Falsificationists claim that any theory that is not falsifiable is
> unscientific. Psychoanalytic theory, for example, is held up by the
> proponents of Karl Popper as an example of an ideology rather than a
> science. A patient regarded by his psychoanalyst as "in denial" about his
> sexual orientation may be viewed as confirming he is homosexual simply by
> denying that he is; and if he has sex with women, he may be accused of
> trying to buttress his denials. In other words, there is no way the patient
> could convincingly demonstrate his heterosexuality to the analyst. This is
> an example of what Popper called a "closed circle". The proposition that the
> patient is homosexual is not falsifiable.
> </quote>
>
> - Oliver
Thanks Oliver, I hadn't come across this before. Seeing as my niece is
doing a degree in Psychology this might come in handy. BTW, I
appreciate your input in this thread.
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