The major flaw in Popper’s criterion of Falsifiability is that it does not take into account that scientific theories and hypotheses are tested in large numbers and not separatel

y. Popper’s criterion of Falsifiability states that if a theory does not have any observational consequences or if it is not falsified, then the theory is not considered to be science. Kitcher uses Newtonian mechanics as an example in his book to refute this notion. He basically says that according to Newtonian mechanics, an apple on a tree should fall to the ground due to the gravitational pull. However, if it doesn’t, it does not mean that any of the Newtonian theories are falsified. One can just simply assume that there is another force acting against the gravitational pull, one that is able to overcome it, causing the apple to not fall. When Popper’s criterion of Falsification is applied to this situation, Newtonian mechanics would be labeled as unfalsifiable, and consequentially, considered a pseudo-science. Popper’s criterion of Falsification does not take into account that Newtonian mechanics is not one single hypothesis, but a series of hypotheses that should be tested together. This is the main reason why Kitcher believes that Popper’s criterion of Falsification is not adequate for distinguishing real science from pseudo-science.

Kitcher’s criteria are highly successful because they take into account all the characteristics of a scientific theory and analyzes the amount of success the theory has in those individual categories. In his book, Kitcher evaluates Darwin’s theory of evolution

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