Not even wrong
An argument that appears to be scientific is said to be not even wrong if it cannot be falsified (i.e., tested) by experiment or cannot be used to make predictions about the natural world. The phrase was coined by theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who was known for his colorful objections to incorrect or sloppy thinking.[1] Rudolf Peierls writes that "a friend showed [Pauli] the paper of a young physicist which he suspected was not of great value but on which he wanted Pauli's views. Pauli remarked sadly, 'It is not even wrong.' "[2]
The phrase implies that even a wrong argument would have been better than the argument proposed, because an argument can only be found wrong after meeting the criteria for a scientific hypothesis (proper assumptions, falsifiable, makes predictions). Arguments that are not even wrong do not meet these criteria.
The phrase "not even wrong" is often used to describe pseudoscience or bad science and is considered derogatory.[3]
"Not even wrong" has also been used, notably by Peter Woit, to mean science that is well-meaning and based on current scientific knowledge, but can neither be used for prediction nor falsified. Such conjectures are non-scientific, even when they are spoken in scientific language. He has applied the phrase to aspects of the super string theory of physics on the grounds that, although mathematically elegant, it provides (as of now) neither predictions nor tests.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ Shermer M (2006). "Wronger Than Wrong". Scientific American.
- ^ Peierls, R. (1960). "Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, 1900-1958". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 5: 186. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1960.0014.
- ^ Oliver Burkeman (September 19, 2005). "Not even wrong". The Guardian.
- ^ Woit, Peter, Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law, Basic Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0465092765