What is the Scientific Way of Knowing?
How Is It Related to Other Ways of Knowing?
A. What are different ways people use to seek
knowledge?
B. What is the goal of the scientific approach in the
search for knowledge?
C. What do scientists say about how they view the
world?
D. How do scientists investigate questions?
1. Steps in the scientific method
2. Units of measurement
3. Calculations; converting units 1
Different Ways of Seeking Knowledge
Way of Description Tools
Knowing
philosophy thinking about thinking rationality & logic
religion thinking about spirituality, philosophy, faith
morality, philosophy, & revelation, &
the physical world authority
science thinking about the physical observation,
world rationality & logic
art expression of human observation, logic
experience & illogic
dogmatism knowing from authority authority2
Scientific Way of Knowing
or “the Scientific Method”
The scientific way to ask questions
and search for answers.
Do scientists think this is the only
way to seek valid answers to
important questions?
What Do Practicing Scientists Say About
How They View the World and Science?
• American Association for the Advancement
of Science tried to answer this question in
Project 2061.
• Published: Science for All Americans in
1990.
• Described assumptions that are the basis for
the scientific way of knowing.
• See next slide.
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The Scientific World-View:
• The world is understandable.
• Scientific ideas are subject to change
______.
• Most scientific knowledge is durable.
• Science can/cannot provide complete
answers to all questions. For example,
questions about:
5
Process of Scientific Inquiry
• Science demands ________
evidence that independent
people can evaluate.
– observations of physical phenomena? yes/no
– religious revelation? yes/no
• imagination
Science is a blend of logic and ____________.
• Science explains and predicts.
• Scientists try to identify and avoid bias
____.
• Science is not authoritarian. (Science does not
unconditionally accept any statement just
because some authority figure says so.) 6
Brain naturally follows scientific
method? Less effort to register
'predictable' images
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311101602.htm
The Steps of the Scientific Method
• Choose a question
• Make an educated guess -- a
hypothesis
• Perform experiments or gather
observations to test the hypothesis
• Interpretations and conclusion -- did your
results support or refute your hypothesis?
• Which one of the above steps is the least
objective -- the step in which different people
are most likely to say something different?
A Scientific Hypothesis:
Should Be Testable
How can one put a hypothesis to a real test?
By conducting an experiment (or set of
observations) that might be able to prove it to be
false.
A scientific hypothesis should be falsifiable.
Falsifiable: You can imagine a possible experiment and
imaginary results that would prove the hypothesis to
wrong or false
be __________________.
Could a falsifiable hypothesis be true? yes/no
Could a falsifiable hypothesis be false? yes/no 9
Which of the 3 hypotheses below
is scientifically falsifiable?
1. Intelligent life exists 25% 25% 25% 25%
somewhere in the universe in
addition to here on Earth.
2. Cars with diesel engines can
drive more miles per gallon
than cars with gasoline
engines.
3. God created all species. 1 2 3 4
4. 1 and 2
If your data do not support your
hypothesis, you must modify or
discard it and try again.
Data & hypothesis
results
Defining Objectivity & Subjectivity
• “Subject” is an observer.
• “Object” is the thing being observed by
the subject(s).
• An objective statement depends on the
object being observed, but not on the
different subjects who are observing it.
• A subjective statement depends on which
subject is making the statement.
• Are observations always objective? 12
Objectivity compared to Subjectivity
• Are observations always objective? __ no
• Or can different observers see different
things? ____ yes
• Goal of scientists: to minimize the
subjectivity.
• Remember: Choosing questions and
making interpretations are often more
subjective than observations. 13
What does “theory” mean in science?
You will often hear someone say, “It’s just
a theory.”
Do scientists use “theory” to mean the
same thing as “hypothesis”?
Yes/No
14
A hypothesis/theory is an educated
guess or a reasonable explanation of
an observation.
A hypothesis/theory synthesizes a
large body of information that
includes well-tested and verified
statements about a particular aspect
of the natural world.
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