Hempel's Paradox

Hempel's Paradox highlights a surprising issue in logical reasoning about hypothesis testing. It suggests that if a theory correctly predicts all observed events, then it also predicts some unlikely or irrelevant events that we haven't observed, making the theory seem unnecessarily broad. For example, if "all ravens are black" is true, then observing a black raven confirms it. But intriguingly, observing a white sock (which isn't a raven) also confirms "all ravens are black" because it's consistent with the statement's logic—since a white sock isn't a counterexample. This paradox reveals complexities in how evidence supports theories and our understanding of confirmation.