Sir Karl Raimund Popper

9.4

A philosopher who says scientific ideas cannot be proved, only shown wrong by tests

proper noun

: Sir Karl Raimund Popper

The notion of falsifiability is central to the work of Sir Karl Raimund Popper.

Examples

Many scientists credit Sir Karl Raimund Popper with challenging the way we think about scientific progress.
Many scholars regard Sir Karl Raimund Popper as a pivotal figure in the philosophy of science.
Sir Karl Raimund Popper was a leading figure in twentieth-century philosophy of science.
Did Sir Karl Raimund Popper really believe that theories could only be falsified?
Sir Karl Raimund Popper was a leading figure in twentieth-century philosophy of science.
Many scientists credit Sir Karl Raimund Popper with challenging the way we think about scientific progress.
The notion of falsifiability is central to the work of Sir Karl Raimund Popper.

Synonyms

Karl Popper

vsSir Karl Raimund Popper

1 7.9

A philosopher who said scientific theories can be tested but never proved true

uses a formal honorific and full personal name instead of the short form

Surface Forms

Sir Karl Raimund Popper main

Morphology

Sir + Karl + Raimund + Popper

This is a proper name: its referent (a specific philosopher and his ideas about falsifiability) cannot be derived from the constituent words. Knowing 'Sir' (an honorific) and the individual names does not allow a B1 learner to infer his identity, profession, or intellectual significance, so prior exposure or background knowledge is required.

Etymology

Sir Karl Raimund Popper was an Austrian-born British philosopher who argued that scientific theories cannot be finally proved, only 'proved wrong'. Think of his name Popper like a bubble that can pop: scientists try to pop ideas by testing them, and that image helps you remember his view that theories must be checked and can be 'proved wrong'.