HW1

Homework 1: Popper and Truth

Reading:

• See reading list (textbooks Ladyman and Walliman), for lecture 1.
• Lecture notes from the first lecture.
• Science as Falsification by Karl R. Popper

1. Science as Falsification

Read Popper’s essay on Science as Falsification On the second page is a list of seven conclusions. Choose one of these and find an example in Popper’s essay that supports it. Cite this example and explain how it supports your chosen conclusion.

2. What is truth?

Read about truth in Ladyman 5.3.3 and lecture 1.

The purpose of science is to arrive at true statements, but what does that mean? The question is a difficult one. One would like to have a definition of truth that may be used to test all types of statements. But there seems to be no universally accepted definition, despite millennia of philosophy and science.

Example:

Here are four statements, P1-P4. In what sense are these statements true?

* P1 The car keys are on the kitchen table.

Correspondence truth If P corresponds to reality, then P is true. P1 is true because the keys are actually on the kitchen table.

* P2 Every differentiable function is continuous.

Coherence truth if P is logically linked to other true statements then P is true. P2 is true since it follows from previous definitions and theorems.

* P3 Eddie Murphy is a great comedian.

Intuitive truth If I have a strong internal conviction about P then P is true for me. P3 is true because I think Eddie Murphy is a great comedian.

* P4 One should stick to the truth.

Pragmatic truth If believing in P results in good consequences then P is true. P4 is true because everyone benefits from people telling the truth.

What kind of truth concept matches each of the following statements best?

1. The program statement while (true) {} gives an infinite loop.
2. Mergesort has complexity O(n log n).
3. Apple suffers losses in the consumer market.
4. Comments make it easier to modify programs.
5. Agile development provides greater job satisfaction.
6. P is a strict subset of NP.
7. Spotify, Skype and Mentimeter are Swedish programs.
8. This statement is true!
9. This statement is false!

For each statement: say which of the four notions of truth above (correspondence, coherence, intuitive, pragmatic) you choose and why.

Handing in your solution

Please save your solution as a pdf file and hand it in on the peergrade page. Do not write your name in the pdf file.

Peer grading

You will be asked to review the homework of three other students. Your own solution will also be reviewed in this way.

Feedback from your TA

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Complete means you have passed this assignment.

Incomplete means you have to hand in a new version.