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The Dreyfus Bordereau: When Junk Science Dressed as Math Convicted an Innocent Man
In 1894, French anthropometrist Alphonse Bertillon used a fake mathematical analysis of handwriting to help convict Captain Alfred Dreyfus of treason. The argument was unfalsifiable: matching handwriting proved guilt, mismatching handwriting also proved guilt.
What this story trains
A theory that explains every possible outcome predicts none. Bertillon's reasoning is a textbook unfalsifiable structure, decades before Popper formalised the term.
Logical ReasoningPattern Recognition
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