CAN INFLATION BE FALSIFIED

Despite its central role in modern cosmology, doubts are often express ed as to whether cosmological inflation is really a falsifiable theory . We distinguish two facets of inflation, one as a theory of initial c onditions for the hot big bang and the other as a model for the origin of structure in the Universe. We argue that the latter can readily be excluded by observations, and that there are also a number of ways in which the former can find itself in conflict with observational data. Both aspects of the theory are indeed falsifiable.