| The Nature of Science |
| What is science ? It is an approach to solving problems that assumes (but does not prove) that the phenomena we see in the natural world have natural causes. What does science try to prove ? The surprising fact is that science doesn't necessarily try to "prove" anything! There are many kinds of problems that can never be completely proven ! Instead of trying to prove that their explanations are always absolutely right (which is impractical!) scientists try to propose testable explanations and models to explain and predict events in the natural world. In fact, this principle of falsifiability first proposed by Sir Karl Popper is used to determine whether an explanation is scientific, or not ! What if an explanation or a model fails a test ? Isn't that a bad thing ? Not in science ! The scientist may decide to either fine-tune the old model or scrap it entirely and build a new model. Either way, by sharing the results of the test scientists are likely to arrive at a model which, if not perfect, does a better job at explain and predicting phenomena than the old one. How long will this new model be accepted ? As long as it does the best job of explaining the most phenomena---in other words, until an even better model is developed. How long will this process of model-building go on ? It's difficult to say ! At some point, if the model is strongly supported by a large body of evidence and experiment it may be referred to as a scientific theory, but even a theory could be revised or rejected if a better explanation presents itself. As Thomas Kuhn has explained, however, scientists will not reject a strongly-supported theory as a rule unless the new explanation can greatly improve understanding, as in a scientific revolution. Is science the only possible way to approach solving a problem ? No. Philosophers, religious thinkers and artists often use approaches to problem-solving that are very different from the scientific method. What is the relationship between science, art and religion ? Science, art and religion are different domains of learning. Science investigates natural phenomena that can be objectively measured. Art and religion rely more on subjective personal experience. Science, art and religion are often concerned with solving very different kinds of problems, but where their domains overlap there is potential for very exciting kinds of interactions, including disagreements. Does a person have to choose between science and religion if they disagree ? No. As physicist Paul Hewitt has said, the purposes of science and religion are different. Science is concerned with cosmic order, whereas religion is concerned with cosmic purpose. Sometimes the specific claims of science and religion appear to be in conflict. In these cases, individuals should try to understand the viewpoints of both sides before rendering any judgement. Why should we study science if it is just ONE way of solving problems ? Science simplifies real-world problem-solving by assuming that phenomena have natural causes and by using a self-correcting procedure called the scientific method. What is the scientific method ? There are many ways to express this. In our course we will use the acronym "O.H.E.C.K." to describe the scientific method. |