Is Freudian theory falsifiable (by Popper's criteria) Essay

Is Freudian theory falsifiable (by Popper's criteria) - Essay Example The matter is the fact that at those times there was a strong belief that works of these scientists are absolutely scientific. But Popper had different point of view. According to him Einstein’s theory was distinguished from theories of Freud, Adler and Marx due to its openness to be falsifiable, i.e. to criticism. Popper considered that Freud, Marx, and Adler gave some true and important issues, despite he thought their theories to be unscientific. In general our intellectual culture has been largely influenced by Popper’s criticism of Freudian theory and his castigation of inductivism. Thus, Frederick Crews, the literary critic states that Popper has proved his own denial of Freudian explanations and Peter Medawar, biologists, has approved both of Karl Popper’s complaints with gusto. In 1935 in the philosophical analysis of the scientific method Karl Popper represented his famous criterion of falsifiability, which is now considered to be an important concept of science as well as of philosophy of science. According to this criterion any theory, proposition or hypothesis can be considered â€Å"scientific† only when it is falsifiable. Thus, Popper’s criterion is necessary but not sufficient for evaluation of any ideas claiming to be scientific (Sokal, 1998). Any theory satisfies Popper’s criterion (i.e. it is falsifiable and therefore scientific) in the event that there is a methodological opportunity to refute it by setting one or another experiment, even if such an experiment has not yet been delivered. According to this criterion, a statement, or system of statements contain information about the empirical world only if it is able to come into collision with the experience, or more accurately - if it can be systematically checked, that is subjected to (according to some â€Å"methodological solutions†) checks, which may result in its denial. In other words, according to Popper's criterion, a scientific theory cannot be fundamentally unassailable. Thus, according to this doctrine, the problem of demarcation (i.e. separation of scientific knowledge from the unscientific) is solved. Popper called this unequal "power" and role in the verification of meaning and truth of scientific theories inherent in confirming and refuting factors â€Å"cognitive asymmetry†. Based on this â€Å"asymmetry† Popper proclaimed the replacement of the â€Å"principle of verification† (i.e. a positive or confirmed check), used by logical empiricists, with the principle of â€Å"falsification† (that is the principle of reliable denial). It means that the verification of scientific essence, and then of the truth of scientific theories must be carried out not through their confirmation, but mainly (or exclusively) through their denial. Popper's criterion requires that a theory or hypothesis should not be fundamentally unassailable. According to Popper a theory cannot be considered scient ific only on the grounds that there is one, several or infinitely many experiments, confirming it. Since almost any theory, formed on the basis of at least some of the experimental data, permits the conducting of a large number of supporting experiments, the existence of confirmation cannot be considered a token of scientific theory. According to Popper, theories differ with respect to the possibility of setting up an experiment able, at least in principle, give a

Theories of Public Policy and Administration Coursework

Theories of Public Policy and Administration - Coursework Example The founding and supporting theorists go further to claim that emancipator transformation in societies is important bearing the fact that contemporary social existence fails to address the basic issues needed by the civilized citizens. In a move to simplify this theory, the founding theorists of the Critical Social theory hold that life in the modern world is equally irrational as in the postmodern societies. Even with the expansive and increasing democracies in the modern societies, irrationality continues to persist as individuals and nations annihilate each other. Social condemnations, unhappiness, servitude, corruption that makes some communities continue in poverty as other prospers define just but a few characteristics of the modern world that are under criticism by the founding theorists. As observed By Leonardo (2004), the Critical social theory makes social analysis by focusing on the historical events and their longitudinal changes earmarked and noted by the end of work or transformation. Another theory of Public policy and administration is the Complexity theory developed and investigated by George Cowan of the Santa Fe Institute in I984 and Stephen Wolfram of the Center for Complexity in Illinois in 1986 (Klijn, 2007). According to the proposers of the theory, the whole or entire system is easily managed and very efficient compared to the sum of the parts or work done by individual parts of the system. As the depiction of the theory, complex systems include numerous interacting parts with each behaving in the local setting in accordance with the laws, forces, and rules that override the system. In simple terms, the complex theory holds that systems are self-organizing and produce results that when traced cannot lead to the contribution of each part in ensuring the resultant outcome.