The Logic of Scientific Discovery
Encyclopedia
The Logic of Scientific Discovery is a 1934 book by Karl Popper
. It was originally written in German
and titled Logik der Forschung. Then Popper reformulated his book in English
and republished it in 1959. This forms the rare case of a major work to appear in two languages, both written and one translated by the author instead of being translated by another person. Sir Peter Medawar
called it "one of the most important documents of the twentieth century." In it, Popper argued that science should adopt a methodology based on falsifiability
, because no number of experiments can ever prove a theory, but a single experiment can contradict one. Popper holds that empirical theories are characterized by falsifiability.
The German version is currently in print by Mohr Siebeck (ISBN 3-16-148410-X), the English one by Routledge
publishers (ISBN 0-415-27844-9).
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
. It was originally written in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and titled Logik der Forschung. Then Popper reformulated his book in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and republished it in 1959. This forms the rare case of a major work to appear in two languages, both written and one translated by the author instead of being translated by another person. Sir Peter Medawar
Peter Medawar
Sir Peter Brian Medawar OM CBE FRS was a British biologist, whose work on graft rejection and the discovery of acquired immune tolerance was fundamental to the practice of tissue and organ transplants...
called it "one of the most important documents of the twentieth century." In it, Popper argued that science should adopt a methodology based on falsifiability
Falsifiability
Falsifiability or refutability of an assertion, hypothesis or theory is the logical possibility that it can be contradicted by an observation or the outcome of a physical experiment...
, because no number of experiments can ever prove a theory, but a single experiment can contradict one. Popper holds that empirical theories are characterized by falsifiability.
The German version is currently in print by Mohr Siebeck (ISBN 3-16-148410-X), the English one by Routledge
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
publishers (ISBN 0-415-27844-9).