falsification principle

falsification principle

FLEW

(inspired by POPPER)

religious language

• noncognitive

• meaningless

what is the falsification principle?

• statement is meaningful if there is evidence to falsify it

  • what would disprove it?

  • e.g. ‘all swans are white’ - would need to find a swan that isn’t white 

parable used in falsification principle

Parable of the Gardener

explorers set up different tests to prove the existence of God

• tests = events in history, like Holocaust

• god doesn’t intervene in any

• but theist just adjusts his definition of God to explain his failure to appear / intervene

what do believers do according to falsification principle?

• requalify beliefs “shift the goal posts”

• leading to “death of God by a thousand qualifications”

e.g. Job in Bible continues belief, refuses falsification

example Flew uses

• child dying of inoperable throat cancer

• POE - why doesn’t God intervene?

  • BUT theist doesn’t accept this is evidence for false statement

  • instead requalifies statement - e.g. God gives freewill

• so Flew asks: what would have to happen for a believer to say ‘God does not love us’ or ‘God does not exist’?

  • nothing!

  • so meaningless - might as well just believe anything 

pros of falsification

• used by scientists testing hypotheses

• high standard for meaningfulness

  • restricts meaning to scientific evidence

• empiricism in modern world

• test of whether a person’s belief is rational 

• can be accepted by atheists

counters of falsification

• can’t be falsified

• too restrictive about what is ‘meaningful’

  • HARE’s Bliks = religious beliefs are meaningful to theists

• religious belief is falsifiable 

  • “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless” - PAUL

  • some theists are prepared to falsify beliefs - shouldn’t generalise

• most religious believers take a realist view of God, not anti-realist 

• sometimes people change their beliefs over time

  • Parable of the Partisan

• fall to contradictory evidence = faith not strong enough

  • faith without reason