Falsification, developed by philosopher Karl Popper, is the principle that a claim is only scientific if it is possible in principle to prove it wrong. Popper's central insight: science advances not by confirming theories but by systematically trying to disprove them. The theories that survive repeated, rigorous attempts at falsification are our best current knowledge β not because they're proven true, but because they've resisted being proven false.
Occam's Razor is a principle of reasoning that states, when faced with competing explanations or hypotheses, the one that requires the fewest assumptions should be preferred β all else being equal. Formulated by 14th-century philosopher William of Ockham, it is used across science, medicine, philosophy, and decision-making as a tool for cutting through unnecessary complexity, filtering hypotheses, and resisting the human tendency to construct elaborate explanations for simple phenomena.
The Scientific Method is the systematic process for building reliable knowledge: observe, form a hypothesis, test it with an experiment designed to disprove it, analyse results, and revise beliefs accordingly. First formalised by Francis Bacon and later by Karl Popper's concept of falsifiability, it remains the most reliable process humans have developed for separating genuine knowledge from intuition, bias, and wishful thinking.