“The game of science is, in principle, without end. He who decides one day that scientific statements do not call for any further test, and that they can be regarded as finally verified, retires from the game.” This quote by Karl Popper reflects his philosophy on the nature of scientific inquiry.
“The game of science is, in principle, without end.” – This part of the quote emphasizes that science is a continual process. As we explore, we find new areas of knowledge and expand on what we know. As we find more answers, we also uncover more questions. This iterative process makes the pursuit of scientific knowledge essentially endless.
“He who decides one day that scientific statements do not call for any further test, and that they can be regarded as finally verified, retires from the game.” – Here, Popper is stating that when a person decides that a scientific idea or hypothesis is beyond further questioning or testing, they are stepping away from the very essence of what makes science. He implies that no scientific statement should be seen as definitively final or immune from further scrutiny, questioning, and testing. To make such a decision, according to Popper, is to reject the ongoing, evolving nature of scientific discovery and understanding.
In other words, this quote encapsulates Popper’s philosophy of “falsifiability” or “refutability”, which is the belief that for a theory to be considered scientific, it must be able to be tested and potentially disproven. If a theory is considered beyond questioning or testing, it becomes dogma, not science.
