Study Guide: Concept 4 — The Hard Core

Core Concept

The programme's center is irrefutable by methodological decision — anomalies are deflected to the belt. Rational tenacity: fixed foundations let deep consequences be derived. License lasts only while the programme progresses.

Key Terms

Hard core · negative heuristic · conventional irrefutability · rational tenacity

Case Summary

Prout (1815): all weights are multiples of hydrogen. A century of contrary measurements attacked via purification techniques, never the core. Isotopes vindicated it.

Application Checklist

• [ ] Declare your 2-3 non-negotiable commitments for the year
• [ ] Route active criticism explicitly to the belt
• [ ] Calendar the core review; define degeneration evidence in advance

Self-Test

1. Why is core-protection rational rather than dogmatic?
2. What licenses protection, and what expires it?
3. How does astrology's core-protection differ in status?