The Duhem-Quine Thesis vs. Crucial Experiments

Abstract

The Duhem-Quine thesis claims that experimentally refuting one theory through experiment can be always avoidable through some modifications of the auxiliary hypotheses involved. However, usually, the auxiliary hypotheses from an experimental setting are a lot more reliable than the main one being tested. So, it is not always possible, in a presence of the negative test result, to blame the auxiliary hypotheses to simply avoid refuting the main hypothesis being tested. Therefore, when reliable technological instruments form a significant part of the auxiliary hypotheses, some "crucial” tests can be effectively performed. After this "crucial” experiment, both parties involved in the debate reach at the same "satisficing” decision, and thus the scientific debate can end.