Karl Popper, Science, & Pseudoscience: Crash Course Philosophy #8

The early 1900s was an amazing time for Western science, as Albert Einstein was developing his theories of relativity and psychology was born, as Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis took over the scientific mainstream. Karl Popper observed these developments firsthand and came to draw a distinction between what he referred to as science and pseudoscience, which might best be summarized as science disconfirms, while pseudoscience confirms. While the way we describe these disciplines has changed in the intervening years, Popper’s ideas speak to the heart of how we arrive at knowledge.
--

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer copyright Rankin/Bass Productions & DreamWorks Classics

--

Crash Course Philosophy is sponsored by Squarespace.

--

Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?

[yehiaalshehri]

"Always remain open to the idea that your beliefs might be wrong is the best way to get closer to the truth"

[Minisynapse]

"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood."
What a brilliant quote by Popper.

[farhanaditya]

"he was one of those rare philosophers who actually managed to hit on an idea so right that we don’t even really argue about it anymore"

This is probably the most badass line you can give to a philosopher.

[ihazthots]

This is some fantastic insight into the scientific method. Freud would be so pissed off if we knew we're calling his life's work pseudo-scientific.

[filing]

"Always remaining open to the idea that your current beliefs might be wrong is the best way to get closer to the truth" such a beautiful line.

[samleheny]

It feels like Freud managed to make strides in psychology by throwing so many ideas at the wall that a few of them were bound to stick.

[Bull_RR]

I love watching crashcourse at 5 am during a terrible insomnia attack.. Thanks for making my night suck less

[MrJdcirbo]

I LOVE that you did an entire episode on karl popper. No one considers him in these discussions of scientific demarcation anymore, and if they do it's like a foot note. He was able to link modus tollens (on a lot of ways the implication that most closely defines logical form itself) to the scientific method. His critical rationalism is, in my opinion, the foundation of an epistemic pyramid. Thank you crash course!

[mkb]

This is one of the most important CC philosophy videos.

[gizee]

I feel like YouTube 'Conspiracy theorists' need this video

[MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

This course is 1000 times more awesome than I thought it would be! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[DocEonChannel]

When you talk about the "white swans" example the text box mentions DEDUCTION... but in philosophy this example is actually used to show the riskiness of INDUCTION.

[DragoniteSpam]

"explained in terms of penis envy"

Good old Sigmund Freud.

[aldrinvendt]

I'm not sure why, but this entire episode made me so incredibly happy! While I'm sure I'm not the only one, I feel like I've come to the conclusions and thought experiments that a lot of these old philosophers did on my own. But there have been so many light bulbs going off in my head during this series!

[shrutisinha]

"The world is filthy with the evidence of Santa."

[agustinvenegas]

I love how "*pseudo science*" is written in comic sans xD

[mmmcake]

Using the scientific method, and the knowledge I obtained from this video, I can reasonably assume that you have had a bigger influence on my intelligence then all other forms of education I have recieved. I went to disprove this theory by visiting my Youtube history and have found that I have watched at least 90(+/-5%) of Crash Course, 75%(+/-10%) of SciShow, and <5% of all your other videos. Without unreasonable doubt, I believe I now possess a BA in Hank Green, and that despite any official organization to issue this, I now feel more qualified and educated then the majority of college grads; so I will be adding this to my resume. Lol, I look forward to completing my MA with you soon!

[Roboterpunk]

I might be wrong - said no one on the internet ever, sadly.

[VK-pkuz]

Let me rephrase that: You don't prove your hypotheses right, you *fail* to prove them wrong.

[jessicahancock]

Your videos are amazing. I am a student at University and I have been watching these since my foundation year. I am now currently on my masters. When ever I am struggling to understand a topic, your videos are the first I come too!