Science relies on the unprovable assumption that the future will behave like the past

Mysteries
Science relies on the unprovable assumption that the future will behave like the past

Science is built upon the Problem of Induction, the logical realization that we cannot prove the sun will rise tomorrow simply because it has risen every day before.

David Hume famously argued in 1748 that our belief in the uniformity of nature is based on habit rather than logic. We assume the future will resemble the past, but any attempt to prove this assumption relies on past experience, creating a circular argument. This means the fundamental laws of physics are technically unprovable generalizations derived from repeated observation.

There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.

Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 2-question quiz
Open in App

Get the full experience

Download Facts A Day