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Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Keywords

philosophy of science, falsificationism, Bayesianism, progressive falsifiability, double-blind experiment, quantum simulation, scientific spirit

Document Type

Consultation of Academic Divisions and Suggestion of Academicians

Abstract

Understanding how experiments in basic scientific research “confirm” theories is crucial for upholding the spirit of science and fostering technological innovation. Mr. Zhou Guangzhao conducted an in-depth discussion on this topic in his early work. This study further analyzes the issue from the perspective of the philosophy of science. We derive falsificationism from a Bayesian perspective, providing a philosophical understanding of the proper handling of the relationship between scientific theory and experiment. By examining the relationship between theory and experiment in physics, this study proposes a philosophy of science concept of progressive falsifiability, emphasizing that through Bayesian methods, experiments can update the posterior probability of theories, thereby quantitatively approaching scientific truth. Additionally, the study explores how theory influences experimental design and data collection in physics, analyzes why quantum simulation results are difficult to falsify, and discusses the logical challenges faced by the practice of falsifiability in double-blind experiments in physics. Finally, it emphasizes that only by adhering to the spirit of science and academic integrity can we avoid the academic gray areas that may arise.

First page

2016

Last Page

2026

Language

Chinese

Publisher

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences

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