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International Journal of Academic
Research in Education and Review
Vol. 2(4), pp. 72-81, May,
2014.
ISSN: 2360-7866
DOI: 10.14662/IJARER2014.011
Review
On the
Insolvability of the Problem of Demarcation
Ilhan M.
Izmirli
George Mason
University. E-mail: Iizmirl2@gmu.edu
Accepted 6
May 2014
The demarcation
problem, a term coined by Karl Popper, refers to the problem of
determining the nature of the criteria that should be implemented to
establish the boundaries between science and non-science. Throughout
this paper we will use this term in the more restrictive sense as
the problem of determining the boundary between science and
religion.
The efforts to elucidate a solution to this problem usually place
scholars into two incongruous extremes. The prevalent stance is not
only that this boundary exists, but that it is definable,
insurmountable, and impermeable. Some hold the exact opposite view
and reject the idea that such a demarcation is, in fact, extant. A
third alternative was offered by some philosophers of science of
twentieth century such as Lakatos, Feyerabend and the
epistemological anarchists that the problem of demarcation is, in
fact, irresolvable. We do concur with their claim, and offer a
logical proof that the existence or nonexistence of such a boundary
is, ultimately, indeterminable.
We start out by giving a brief history of the conflict between
religion and science. We follow this by a condensed account of how
the scientific process is delineated in various philosophies of
science. We conclude by addressing the issue of demarcation and its
insolvability.
Key words: science, religion, epistemology, demarcation
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