falsify

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Reinhard Mick - 16 May 2006 01:25 GMT

Hello!

Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to
falsify".

In my first language the same word ("falsifizieren") only means to
proof that a theory is not true (and therefore has to be abandoned).
It is - to my knowledge - used in this scientific context only and has
a similar meaning as "to disprove" - like measuring of the precession
of the perihelion of mercury "falsified"(?) the newtonian theory of
mechanics.

I just translated it directly in a slightly different context and was
misunderstood completely, because to falsify, as I was told, has the
meaning of intentionally making a false document, e.g. printing false
money or false passports.

My question, which I could not resolve by my dictionaries or the
internet is: Can "falsify" also have the meaning of "disprove", at
least in a scientific context? (On the net you find several pages with
this use - most of them are translations from german to english
however.)

Thanks in advance for any help and greetings from Austria!

(When I want to find a translation of a german word, I very often find
one, two or more words, which I know already. The problem is, I also
know, that they do not match the meaning I have in mind. Sometimes it
helps to look up other german words with a similar meaning, but this
really can be annoying. Does anyone have a hint to a German-English
dictionary, that is known to offer an extended variety of translations
for every word?)

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John of Aix - 16 May 2006 08:27 GMT

> Hello!
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> internet is: Can "falsify" also have the meaning of "disprove", at
> least in a scientific context?

In my opinion, no. One 'contradicts' or 'disproves' a theory. 'Falsify'
is only used int he sense you give above.

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Nick Wagg - 16 May 2006 09:30 GMT

> Hello!
>
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> this use - most of them are translations from german to english
> however.)

According to my Collins dictionary, while "falsify" usually implies
some sort of intent to alter the facts or to produce something that
is counterfeit, it does also have a less common meaning of to disprove.

I have to admit that this is the first time I have come across it in this
context and would therefore suggest that you don't use it in this way,
if you wish to be understood unambiguously.

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Paul Burke - 16 May 2006 10:33 GMT

> Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to
> falsify".
>
> In my first language the same word ("falsifizieren") only means to
> proof that a theory is not true (and therefore has to be abandoned).

> I just translated it directly in a slightly different context and was
> misunderstood completely, because to falsify, as I was told, has the
> meaning of intentionally making a false document, e.g. printing false
> money or false passports.

The word which means to disprove scientifically or mathematically is
"refute". Unfortunately, in common usage, this has become weakened by
confusion with "rebut", which means to claim that an assertion is false,
without necessarily providing evidence.

I'd plump for "disprove" or "prove false" except in purely formal
technical contexts.

Paul Burke

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Phil C. - 16 May 2006 13:28 GMT

>Hello!
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
>Thanks in advance for any help and greetings from Austria!

You may like to look at the falsifiability principle of the
philosopher Sir Karl Popper, who was also Austrian by birth. It's
about the need for scientific statements to be capable of being
disproved if they are to count. But "falsify" doesn't seem to be used
in scientific circles for the actual results of actual experiments.

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Phil C.

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Discussion Groups / British English / May 2006

falsify