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Minor correction. Science is anything that follows the scientific method. One important step of the scientific method is "make testable predictions." Another
by throwaway7312 9y ago
Minor correction.
Science is anything that follows the scientific method.
One important step of the scientific method is "make testable predictions." Another step is "refine, alter, expand, or reject" hypotheses. Science rests on the possibility of falsifiability. If it can be tested, and found false, it is science. If there is no way to falsify it, it is not science.
For instance, evolution is falsifiable. We can expect that if we put certain organisms with rapid life cycles in a harsher environment, over a certain number of generations the population in the harsher environment will evolve to better suit that environment. If, say, 10,000 generations pass and the organisms in that environment are no better suited to it than a control population, we might conclude evolution has been falsified. Fortunately, we've done lots of tests like this, and evolution does indeed occur.
So I may better understand how this is science, can you tell me how the theory of manmade global warming can be disproved?
- i2amsam 9y agoI'm going to go with a prolonged period of worldwide cooling? Lab tests that show CO2 is not a greenhouse gas? Isotope concentrations that show increasing CO2 is not coming from anthropomorphic causes? Evidence that the glaciers are melting because of some other reason than it's hot?
- mikeash 9y agoOne way to disprove it would have been if global temperatures had stayed at their 19th century levels. Starting from where we are now, it would be disproven if global temperatures returned to their 19th century levels.
- coldpie 9y agoHave you read the IPCC Summary for Policymakers? It's a really good summary of the current state of the science. It's a very complicated topic and you're not going to get a complete answer in a HN reply. I'm serious, give it a read. http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WG1AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WG1AR5_SPM_...