WHAT IS THE
NATURE OF
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF SCIENCE?
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THIS IS THE
THIS IS THE
SCIENTIFIC WORLD VIEW
SCIENTIFIC WORLD VIEW
1.
1.
The Universe Is Understandable.
The Universe Is Understandable.
2.
2.
The Universe Is a Vast Single System In
The Universe Is a Vast Single System In
Which the Basic Rules Are Everywhere
Which the Basic Rules Are Everywhere
the Same.
the Same.
3.
3.
Scientific Ideas Are Subject To Change.
Scientific Ideas Are Subject To Change.
4.
4.
Scientific Knowledge Is Durable.
Scientific Knowledge Is Durable.
5.
5.
Science Cannot Provide Complete
Science Cannot Provide Complete
Answers to All Questions.
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY?
• Certain features of science make it distinctive as a means of
understanding the world/universe
• Those features are especially characteristic of the work of
professional scientists, but anyone can use them to think scientifically about
Science Demands Evidence
• The validity of scientific claims is
settled by referring to observations of
phenomena
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
1. Observe and describe a phenomenon or group of phenomena
2. Formulate hypotheses to explain the phenomena; hypotheses often take the form of a proposed causal mechanism or mathematical relationship
3. Use the hypotheses to predict the existence or actions of other phenomena, or to predict
quantitatively the results of new observations 4. Perform additional data collection or repeat
experimental tests of the predictions by several
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• Observations/Data Hypotheses Hypothesis ➔ ➔
Testing Models Laws Theories➔ ➔ ➔
• At some point in time, each stage must be reported to the larger scientific community by presentations or
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• The scientific method does not allow any hypothesis to be proven true
• Hypotheses can be disproven, in which case those hypothesis are rejected as false
• A hypothesis which withstands a test designed to falsify it establishes a level of probability that the hypothesis accurately explains data and
SCIENTIFIC LAWS AND THEORIES
• A Scientific Theory is an explanation of a set or system of related observations or events based upon proven hypotheses and verified multiple times by detached groups of unbiased
researchers
SCIENTIFIC LAWS AND THEORIES
• A
s a result of our confidence in the
Scientific method, both scientific laws and
broader scientific theories are accepted to
be “true” (accurate) by the scientific
community as a whole
SCIENTIFIC LAWS AND THEORIES
• The biggest difference between a law and a theory is that a theory is much more complex and dynamic
• A law governs a single action or situation,
whereas a theory explains an entire group of related phenomena (Mendel’s Laws versus Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural
Selection)
SCIENTIFIC LAWS AND THEORIES
• Genuine scientific theories must be falsifiable
by applying the scientific method (data collection and hypothesis testing)
• If one cannot imagine a specific investigation or experiment, based on predictions from the
theory, leading to results which can further
SCIENTIFIC LAWS AND THEORIES
• When the scientific community accepts a Law or Theory, it represents the best understanding of the explanations for the properties of a given system at that point in time
• A Scientific Theory represents our best
THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
• The Experimental Method is usually considered the most scientific of all methods, the “method of choice”
• The main problem with all other
non-experimental methods is having less control over the situation and its components
THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
• An experiment is a study of cause and effect
• It differs from non-experimental methods in that it involves the deliberate manipulation of one variable, while trying to keep all other variables constant
HYPOTHESIS GENERATION
• The use of logic and the close examination of
evidence are necessary but not usually
sufficient for the advancement of science
• Scientific concepts do not emerge automatically from data or from any amount of analysis alone • Inventing hypotheses or theories to imagine
how the world works and then figuring out how they can be put to the test of reality is a
SCIENCE EXPLAINS AND PREDICTS
• Scientists try to make sense of observations by constructing explanations for observations that are consistent with currently accepted scientific principles
• Such explanations—theories—may be either sweeping or restricted, but they must be
logically sound and incorporate a significant body of scientifically valid observations
SCIENCE EXPLAINS AND PREDICTS
• It is not enough for scientific theories
to explain the observations that are
already known
• Theories should also explain
additional observations that were not
used in formulating the theories in the
first place; that is,
theories should
SCIENTISTS TRY TO
IDENTIFY AND TO AVOID BIAS
• When faced with a claim that something is true, scientists respond by asking what evidence
supports it
• But scientific evidence can be biased in how the data are interpreted, recorded or reported, or even in the choice of what data are
considered in the first place
• A scientist’s nationality, culture, sex, ethnic origin, age, political convictions, etc., may
SCIENCE IS NOT AUTHORITARIAN
• In science, it is
appropriate to turn to
knowledgeable sources of
information and opinion,
usually specialists in
relevant disciplines
• But respected authorities
have been wrong many
times in the history of
science
SCIENCE IS SELF CORRECTING
AND PROGRESSIVE
• In the short run, new ideas that do not agree well with mainstream ideas may encounter
vigorous criticism, and scientists investigating such ideas may have difficulty obtaining
support for their research
• Challenges to new ideas are the legitimate
SCIENCE IS SELF CORRECTING
AND PROGRESSIVE
• SF Author Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s First Law:
“When a distinguished but elderly scientist
SCIENCE AS A WAY OF KNOWING
1. The Universe Is Understandable
2. The Universe Is a Vast Single System In Which the Basic Rules Are Everywhere the Same
3. Scientific Ideas Are Subject To Change 4. Scientific Knowledge Is Durable
5. Science Cannot Provide Complete Answers to All Questions
Scientific ideas are developed by particular ways of observing, thinking, experimenting, and validating
