Oscar Wilde Quote
At the beginning of the text, Popper quotes author Oscar Wilde:
"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."
This quote symbolizes Popper's assertion that mistakes are an important part of any journey towards success and truth. This is something that Popper considers in his scientific arguments, stating in the preface that:
"The essays and lectures of which this book is composed are variations upon one very simple theme- the thesis that we can learn from our mistakes."
John Archibald Wheeler Quote
Popper also quotes John Archibald Wheeler in this text, an American theoretical physicist who wrote:
"Our whole problem is to make the mistakes as fast as possible"
Again, this quote symbolizes the importance of making mistakes according to Popper but also suggests that more mistakes must be made at a quicker pace. In order to do this, scientists must be comfortable with making mistakes and learning from them.
Falsification
Falsification is a key motif of this text and is something Popper refers to repeatedly in his scientific arguments. It is the idea that a person can prove a statement or theory is false, but cannot prove definitively that it is true.
Science
The study of science and empirical data is a key motif of this text. Essentially, Popper's aim is to support the progression of scientific thought.
In defence of falsification
Popper acknowledges that falsification can appear a little skeptical. Essentially, he argues that scientific theories cannot ever be proven true, so we should instead try and prove them false. As such, this negative slant might seem pessimistic to some.
However, throughout this text, Popper defends the theory of falsification. He states that:
"Though it stresses our fallibility it does not resign itself to scepticism, for it also stresses the fact that knowledge can grow, and that science can progress, just because we can learn from our mistakes."
