This blog is part of the “RFT Dictionary” series. RFT stands for Relational Frame Theory, an incredible theory that explores the relationship between language and behavior. RFT can be challenging for newcomers to grasp, as it incorporates numerous terms that may seem like a foreign language. That’s why these blogs exist—to serve as a sort of dictionary for RFT. The bolded words in the text can be found in the dictionary, providing definitions and explanations to enhance your understanding.

In the previous blog, we saw that truth and evidence depend on how you view life: your philosophy or worldview. We have established that you cannot look at life without a worldview. It’s like a pair of glasses that you can’t take off but can exchange for another pair. Even scientists wear such glasses and have a worldview. Philosopher of science, Pepper (1942), distinguished between six different global worldviews, which he called world hypotheses. Each has its own perspective on truth, also known as the “truth criterion.”

Suitability for Science 

However, not every world hypothesis is suitable for science, according to Pepper. In this blog, I would like to tell you more about what a worldview or world hypothesis must meet if you want to use it as a basis for science. For science, it is necessary for me to confirm or refute someone’s claim. When I make a statement, you should be able to confirm or refute it. Pepper calls this process corroboration. Corroboration of a claim can be done in two ways:

1) Through measurements

2) Through logic

Measurements

For example, I could measure the boiling point of water using a thermometer. I say to you, the reader, “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.” You might not be convinced and want to conduct the measurement yourself. You do so and see that the thermometer indeed shows 100 degrees when the water boils. With your measurement, you confirm my claim. Pepper refers to this confirmation of a claim based on measurements as “corroboration of data.”

Logic

You can also confirm something based on logic. Take, for example, a chair made by a manufacturer named Poofywoof. This manufacturer, Poofywoof, is known for producing sturdy chairs. Poofywoof has a certification and undergoes regular external inspections to assess the strength of their chairs. Recently, I have purchased such a chair from Poofywoof, and I say to you, “This is a sturdy chair, go ahead and sit on it, it’s from Poofywoof!” You are still a bit skeptical and ask me, “Why is this chair sturdy? Just because it’s from Putjefrats?” I’ll respond, “Well, Putjefrats is known for producing sturdy chairs; they have a certification and undergo regular inspections.” “Oh, if that’s the case,” you say, “then it is very likely that this is a sturdy chair.” This way, you confirm my claim based on the logical coherence of various data. Pepper refers to this confirmation based on logic as “corroboration of danda.”

Within a world hypothesis, both opportunities of confirmation or refutation must be possible: both based on logic and based on data. Two of Pepper’s world hypotheses don’t meet this standard, and four do. In the next blog, we will look at the two worldviews that are unsuitable for science: Animism and Mysticism.

World hypotheses themselves cannot be corroborated

A world hypothesis cannot be refuted or confirmed as true in itself. Something is true within a particular world hypothesis or from a specific worldview. Truth does not exist independently of a world hypothesis, as mentioned in the previous blog. Trying to confirm or refute a world hypothesis is like eating your own mouth: it’s impossible. One world hypothesis cannot be more or less true than another. This also applies to world hypotheses that are not suitable for science.

In the next blog, more about Animism and Mysticism.

References
Pepper, S. C. (1942). World hypotheses: A study in evidence (Vol. 31). Univ of California Press.

This blog is part of the “RFT Dictionary” series. RFT stands for Relational Frame Theory, an incredible theory that explores the relationship between language and behavior. RFT can be challenging for newcomers to grasp, as it incorporates numerous terms that may seem like a foreign language. That’s why these blogs exist—to serve as a sort of dictionary for RFT. The bolded words in the text can be found in the dictionary, providing definitions and explanations to enhance your understanding.

Science and truth

You may often come across headlines like “Science reveals that…” or “Science proves that…” in news articles. In our society, science is generally seen as a pursuit that can uncover the truth about how our world works and how we function. We believe there is one truth that exists outside of us, waiting to be discovered. Once we know this truth, we are certain. We know what to do, which choices to make, how the world operates, what is real, and what is not.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a popular concept in psychology. EBM refers to therapies for which there is evidence of effectiveness. But when do we consider something as effective? How do we establish evidence? What underlies this evidence? When is something true? To explore these questions, we turn to Pepper (1942), a philosopher of science who studied truth.

Pepper argued that what is considered evidence and truth depends on your worldview. A worldview is a perspective from which you view life, similar to wearing a pair of glasses. When you put on red-tinted glasses, you see the world as red. When you put on blue-tinted glasses, you see the world as blue.

Can’t I go on without glasses?

Now you might be thinking, “Well, then I won’t wear any glasses, and I’ll see the world as it truly is.” But that’s not possible. You cannot go trough life without a worldview, and this applies to scientists as well. A scientist is not a blank slate when they embark on their research. They don’t hatch from an egg and start asking questions and conducting investigations.

A scientist also grows up and develops within a community that provides them with a set of glasses. Perhaps they may switch glasses later on, but they will never be able to look at the world without glasses. Their glasses determine which research questions are relevant and which are not, how they design their research, which factors they consider important to include, and ultimately, what they consider as true or as evidence for their research question. In future blogs, we will explore how these worldviews also influence how we view therapy, what we expect from therapy, therapists, and research on therapy.

World Hypotheses

Pepper describes six different global worldviews, which he refers to as “world hypotheses.” According to him, they are hypotheses because they cannot be tested. They are pre-analytical assumptions, which means they are assumptions made before conducting any research or analysis. All six world hypotheses will be further discussed in future blogs.

Truth is dependent on your worldview or world hypothesis

According to Pepper, each world hypothesis has its own perspective on truth. Each world hypothesis has its own criterion for determining when something is true, he says. These criteria of each of the world hypotheses are called a “truth criterion.” Therefore, there are multiple truths (truth criteria) that are associated with a worldview or world hypothesis. What we perceive as evidence is also influenced by the world hypothesis we adhere to. We will see how this unfolds when we delve into the specific world hypotheses.

In summary, science can be practiced from different worldviews. Pepper distinguishes six global worldviews, which he refers to as world hypotheses. Each world hypothesis has its own truth or truth criterion. What you consider as evidence is therefore dependent on the lens you wear or the world hypothesis you adhere to.

Some world hypotheses are suitable for science, while others are not. I will explain this in the next blog post.

References
Pepper, S. C. (1942). World hypotheses: A study in evidence (Vol. 31). Univ of California Press.