What is this thing called science?
by A. F. Chalmers, Chalmers, Alan Chalmers, Alan F. Chalmers, Pilar López Máñez, Eulalia Pérez Sedeño, Simon Pates · first published 1976
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible introduction to the philosophy of science, covering Popper, induction, and falsifiability. It clarifies basic epistemology questions and suits undergraduates and newcomers to the topic.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2015–2026How to keep your Volkswagen alive
Muir, John
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 85 recommend · 8 mention5 recommend · 85 recommend
2007–2024The Logic of Scientific Discovery
Karl Popper
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 2615 recommend · 26 mention15 recommend · 2615 recommend
2009–2025Against Method
Paul K. Feyerabend
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 7232 recommend · 72 mention32 recommend · 7232 recommend
2008–2025More programming pearls
Jon Louis Bentley
Recommended by 12 · mentioned by 1512 recommend · 15 mention12 recommend · 1512 recommend
2008–2026Proofs and refutations
Imre Lakatos, John Worrall, Elie Zahar
Recommended by 34 · mentioned by 4534 recommend · 45 mention34 recommend · 4534 recommend
2007–2026The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas S. Kuhn, Dennis Holland
Recommended by 96 · mentioned by 21596 recommend · 215 mention96 recommend · 21596 recommend
2008–2026Chaos
James Gleick
Recommended by 45 · mentioned by 6345 recommend · 63 mention45 recommend · 6345 recommend
2008–2026The elements of programming style
Brian W. Kernighan, P. J. Plauger
Recommended by 30 · mentioned by 6930 recommend · 69 mention30 recommend · 6930 recommend
Yeah, sorry for the very short comment, and "moving on" was the wrong word. So, first, Popper's Logic of Scientific Discovery is actually from 1934 (!), not the 60s. As an introduction, Alan F. Chalmers' What Is This Thing Called Science? is good. It covers Popper in chapters 5 to 7 (Introduction & Naive Falsificationism, Sophisticated Falsificationism, Limitations). Then it moves on (as it were) to Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific…
on “Philosophy Has Made Plenty of Progress” ↗If you're actually interested in this topic, you should read "What is this thing called science?" by Alan Chalmers. One big take away from the book is that there are many things that are "factual" and "scientific" but are not "falsifiable". It's been an important part of modern scientific advancement…
on “Why isn't there a replication crisis in math?” ↗I recommend "What is this thing called Science?" by A. F. Chalmers. It describes how science came about and how scientific principles were established. I found it highly accessible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_This_Thing_Called_Scie...
on “Ask HN: Any recommendation for a good History of Science book?” ↗…Mathematics" * Mittelbach & Goosens "The LaTeX Companion" * Waldrop's "The Dream Machine" * Nielsen & Chuang's "Quantum Computation & Quantum Information" * Lakatos's "Proof & Refutations" * Chambers "What is this thing called science?" * Doxiadis & Papadimitriou's "Logicomix".
on “Ask HN: Examples of good technical writing?” ↗For me, probably What Is This Thing Called Science?. It was the first time I really thought about some basic questions in epistemology.
on “Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?” ↗…arguments, philosophers generally drifted away from thinking there's some hard-and-fast rule to differentiate science and pseudoscience. If you're interested in these issues, you might enjoy Chalmers' What is this Thing Called Science?, an introduction to the philosophy of science that addresses issues like these. Or a primary source like Feyerabend's Against Method, quite a fun read, though maybe not one that many philosophers of…
on “Inside the proton, the ‘most complicated thing you could possibly imagine’” ↗…the predictions of Newtonian mechanics (a disproof!), physicists didn't throw out Newton, they posited the existence of another planet. And they turned out to be right, Neptune existed. See Chalmers' What is This Thing Called Science? for an introduction to these kinds of topics, or Kuhn and Feyerabend's work for historical responses. (And the Duhem-Quine thesis for the "auxiliary hypothesis" response to falsifiability I hinted at…
on “Daniel Kahneman has died” ↗…exist, and there have been several competing models. But every model had its flaws. It's possible that the timescape model will also have flaws that cause it to be re-evaluated. I recommend a book called "What is this thing called science?" by Chalmers [1]. When I was an undergrad it gave me a more nuanced understanding of the Philosophy of Science. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_This_Thing_Called_Scie...
on “Dark Energy May Not Exist: Something Stranger Might Explain the Universe” ↗…read Feyerabend's arguments, including case studies in the history of science where traditionally well-respected scientists have violated, e.g., principles of falsifiability. Chalmers has a nice book, What is This Thing Called Science?, that includes this view, though the book is far more nuanced than Feyerabend. "Any theory that is inconsistent with experiment is wrong" sounds plausible, but there are several issues, such as the theory-ladenness…
…shown to be false in no uncertain manner when, on Christmas eve, instead of being fed, he had his throat cut. An inductive inference with true premises has led to a false conclusion. (via Alan Chalmers, What is this thing called Science, 2nd edition, University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, 1982)
on “Coffeezilla, a YouTuber Exposing Crypto Scams” ↗…I'm sure there is a lot of good things there too, but I personally prefer things that are a bit further from my daily job! (Aside, there is one chapter on "The Bayesian approach" in the 3rd edition of "What is this thing called science", so that one might be a good entry-point for this topic too.)
on “Philosophy of science books every computer scientist should read” ↗