What does fallibilism mean?
Fallibilism is the philosophical view that all human knowledge is provisional: no belief, however carefully supported by evidence, can be held with absolute certainty, because any of our conclusions may turn out to be mistaken. Rather than being a counsel of despair, fallibilism is generally treated as a strength — it encourages openness to criticism, revision, and improvement. The idea is closely associated with the American pragmatist Charles Sanders Peirce, who argued that genuine inquiry must begin from the recognition that we can err, and it was later central to Karl Popper's philosophy of science, which held that theories should be rigorously tested precisely because they might be false. Fallibilism stands opposed to infallibilism and dogmatism, positions that claim certainty for some class of beliefs. Outside academic philosophy the word is rare, but the attitude it names underlies modern science and democratic debate alike.
nounThe doctrine that human knowledge is inherently uncertain and fallible, and that any belief or claim may be mistaken even when well supported. It is associated especially with American pragmatist philosophy and with Karl Popper's critical rationalism.
- The epistemological position that all claims to knowledge are provisional and potentially revisable in light of new evidence.
"Scientific inquiry rests on a kind of humility that philosophers call fallibilism."
"The pragmatists Peirce and Dewey championed fallibilism as an alternative to foundational certainty."
"A commitment to fallibilism does not mean doubting everything at once; it means holding beliefs open to revision."
The plural is rare and typically appears only in scholarly discussions comparing different versions or interpretations of the doctrine (e.g., Peircean versus Popperian fallibilisms). In ordinary use the noun functions as an uncountable mass noun referring to a single philosophical stance.
"The conference papers explored several distinct fallibilisms developed across twentieth-century philosophy."
Fallibilism turns 'I might be wrong' from a confession into the very engine of scientific progress — Popper built an entire epistemology on it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fallibilism
Fallibilism derives from the Latin verb 'fallere', meaning 'to deceive' or 'to cause error', through its adjective 'fallibilis', meaning capable of failing or erring. The related English adjective 'fallible' entered English around the fifteenth to sixteenth century via Latin, while the abstract noun 'fallibilism' was coined much later, in the nineteenth century, as philosophical vocabulary for the corresponding doctrine. Cognates sharing the same Latin root include 'fallible', 'fallibility', 'infallible', and their derivatives.
Related word forms
How fallibilism is actually used
Fallibilism is a technical term of philosophy, particularly epistemology and philosophy of science, and is rarely used outside academic writing. It carries no negative connotation — indeed, within these fields it is often treated as a virtue of intellectual honesty rather than a weakness. The adjective form 'fallibilist' describes a person who holds this view.
Easily confused with fallibilism
Fallibility is the capacity to be wrong; fallibilism is the philosophical doctrine that this capacity applies universally to knowledge claims.