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Usenet Posted 20 years ago
English in UK
Falsify
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?)
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?)
Top answer
[nq:1]Hello! Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to falsify". In my first language ...
- [nq:1]Hello!
- Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to falsify".
- In my first language ...
- [/nq] In my opinion, no.
- One 'contradicts' or 'disproves' a theory.
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4 Answers
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[nq:1]Hello! Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to falsify". In my first language ... my dictionaries or the internet is: Can "falsify" also have the meaning of "disprove", at least in a scientific context?[/nq]
In my opinion, no. One 'contradicts' or 'disproves' a theory. 'Falsify' is only used int he sense you give above.
In my opinion, no. One 'contradicts' or 'disproves' a theory. 'Falsify' is only used int he sense you give above.
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[nq:1]Hello! Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to falsify". In my first language ... the net you find several pages with this use - most of them are translations from german to english however.)[/nq]
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 al
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 al
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[nq:1]Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to falsify". In my first language the ... as I was told, has the meaning of intentionally making a false document, e.g. printing false money or false passports.[/nq]
The word which means to disprove scientifically or mathematically is "refute". Unfortunately, in common usage, this has become weakened by confusion with "r
The word which means to disprove scientifically or mathematically is "refute". Unfortunately, in common usage, this has become weakened by confusion with "r
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[nq:1]Hello! Yesterday I had a kind of discussion about the meaning of the verb "to falsify". In my first language ... most of them are translations from german to english however.) Thanks in advance for any help and greetings from Austria![/nq]
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 scien
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 scien
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