The article discusses the limits of applicability of the idea of falsifiability proposed by K. Popper for the evaluation of scientific theories. The article reviews the original formulations of the principle of falsifiability presented in the works of Popper. Further, the main attention is paid to the problem of the holistic nature of experimental testing of scientific theories posed by P. Duhem. It is claimed that the idea of falsifiability can be considered as a methodological regulative principle. However, this principle seems to be less obligatory than the principle of non-contradiction, the excessive disregard of which will mean the collapse of any research.
regulative principle; falsifiability; non-contradiction; K. Popper; P. Duhem; P. Feyerabend; scientific theories; cognitive sciences.