Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2009, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (4): 130-147.

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Falsification: Likelihood and Necessity in Social Science ResearchA Discussion with Zhang Yang

  

  • Online:2009-07-20 Published:2009-07-20

Abstract:

Challenging Zhang Yang’s arguments in his article Is Falsification Possible in Social Science?, this paper contends that falsification is one of the inevitable results in theory testing and that it is more effective and reliable than confirmation. This paper tries to clarify the misunderstandings of Popper’s falsificationism in Zhang’s paper. Popper’s falsification is not to “falsify by a single counter example,” and there exist obvious differences among falsification, falsifiability, and falsificationism, which should not be obscured. The current paper also responds to the four challenges that falsification has to face in social sciences as pointed out by Zhang: the DuhemQuine thesis can’t hamper falsification; Mill’s proposition can’t challenge falsificationism; statistical statements are not probability statements; and the theory of scope conditions combined with falsification will make the theories in social sciences more scientific.

Key words:

, the Duhem-Quine thesis, falsification, Mill’s proposition, scope conditions, matriarchy , nature , form , matter