Q0281
“It is easy to obtain confirmations…for nearly every theory—if we look for…” — Karl Popper (Conjectures and Refutations)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Conjectures and Refutations. Theme: critique.
English
It is easy to obtain confirmations…for nearly every theory—if we look for confirmations.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Conjectures and Refutations and files it under Critical Rationalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Karl Popper
Karl Popper (1902–1994) was an Austrian-born philosopher of science and politics who spent his mature career in New Zealand and at the London School of Economics. Fleeing Nazism, he developed critical rationalism against verificationism and historicist prophecy.
Interpretation
Popper is identifying the asymmetry between confirmation and refutation. Evidence that fits a theory is easy to come by for almost any theory, so accumulating such evidence does not discriminate between them; what distinguishes a good theory is that it forbids things, and that it has survived attempts to refute it. His claim is therefore about method: the value of a test lies in how likely it was to fail.
Why it matters
The test to apply to any claim you hold: what would have to happen for you to give it up? If nothing, the evidence you have gathered is not doing the work you think.
Concepts in this quote
- Critique
- Critique appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat critique as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Karl Popper. (n.d.). It is easy to obtain confirmations…for nearly every theory—if we look for confirmations. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0281
MLA: Karl Popper. “It is easy to obtain confirmations…for nearly every….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0281.
Chicago: Karl Popper. “It is easy to obtain confirmations…for nearly every….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0281.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “It is easy to obtain confirmations…for nearly every…”?
The passage is attributed to Karl Popper, Conjectures and Refutations. The archive attributes this English wording to Conjectures and Refutations and files it under Critical Rationalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Karl Popper mean by critique?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Paulin Hountondji and Aimé Césaire), critique is framed through Africana Philosophy and Critical Rationalism. Some passages define critique; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through critique.