Demarcation criterion

Definition: A criterion for distinguishing science from non-science which aims to indicate an optimal way for knowledge of the world to grow. In a Popperian approach, the demarcation criterion was falsifiability and the application of a falsificationist attitude. Alternative approaches include that of Kuhn, who believed that the criterion was puzzle solving with the aim of understanding nature, and Lakatos, who argued that science is marked by working within a progressive research programme.