Falsify

Referring to a piece of data or experimental outcome that corroborates one theory at the expense of at least one rival theory.

Falsification is not simply "proving wrong" — it is a comparative process. When Evidence matches one theory's predictions and contradicts another's, the contradicted theory is falsified relative to the corroborated one.

Connections

• •Complementary to Corroboration — two sides of the same test
• •Driven by Evidence and Criticism
• •Central to Critical Rationalism — theories must be falsifiable to be scientific
• •Distinct from proof — falsification is about elimination, not certainty
• •Part of Error Correction — discarding refuted theories is progress
• •Related to Conjecture — bold conjectures are those most open to falsification