Demarcation Problem

The Demarcation Problem is a philosophical challenge of distinguishing between science and non-science. It asks: what criteria define whether a belief, theory, or practice is genuinely scientific? This issue is important because it helps identify what methods or characteristics make scientific claims trustworthy and testable. While various criteria like empirical evidence, falsifiability, and reproducibility are used, there’s no universally accepted standard. The problem highlights the complexity of categorizing knowledge and understanding scientific integrity, guiding the way we evaluate scientific claims versus other types of knowledge, such as pseudoscience or ideology.