The Great SM (1 )Probablyevery introductory science text in the world includes a first chapter sectionon the
scientific method. Discussion of this approach to scientificinvestigation is so ubiquitous that it is easy to come to the conclusion thatthis is the description of how science works. Unfortunately,this conclusion is not only erroneous, it also leads to some confusion aboutscientific investigations which don't follow the protocol of the ScientificMethod. So ifthis isn't the "way science is done," why do teachers and texts makesuch a big deal over it? Theanswer is that, while science can be done (and often is) following differentkinds of protocols, the description of the scientific method includes some veryimportant features that should lead to understanding some very basic aspects ofall scientific practice. Some of these would be:The importance of posing an accessible problem, and formulating testable
predictions;The necessity of testability of hypotheses;The need for clear critical thinking in assessing the evidence collected, from whatever method;The tentative nature of all scientific conclusions;The circular path of scientific investigation; andSome very important practical aspects of scientific investigation.Withthese purposes in mind, let's take a look at this hairy old icon of scientificprocess. Just what is the scientific method?TheScientific MethodThescientific method is generally described as a series of
steps. Though we speakof a scientific method, you will find that different sources listslightly different steps, though they all turn out to mean precisely the samething. In your text, the list is:ObservationsQuestioningHypothesisTestingExplanationThis isa pretty good representation, so we'll go with it.Inductionand DeductionScientificproblem solving involves two basic types of reasoning, generally calledinduction and
Deduction. Inductioninvolves gathering together a collection of bits of data--
Observations,experimental results, whatever kinds of information are available--andformulating a generalization which reasonably explains all of them. This isanalogous to the formation of a hypothesis. You make a set of observations,then hypothesize an explanation which accounts for all of the observations.You cansee why forming a hypothesis is sometimes described as forming an"educated guess." It's a guess in the sense that you are devising anexplanation, but it's educated because (1) it must be reasonable (ie, sensible)and, (2) it either has to be consistent with what we already think we know, orit has to include a very good justification for deciding that what we think weknow is wrong. This is a vital kind of self-policing. One of the mostsignificant strengths of scientific knowledge is the degree to which it is selfcorrecting, and this is one part of that. No matter how good an idea is, if itviolates the centuries worth of hard won knowledge we've accumulated, theremust be extremely good reason (based an a lot of evidence) to accept the newidea and throw out all of the old ones.Deductionbegins with a generalization. Predictions are made based on the generalization,and those predictions are challenged. This, in essence, is the testing part ofscience.Onecan't say enough about how important this aspect of science is."Testability" is a requirement for any useful scientific concept.But, of course, there are many, many different kinds of ways to testpredictions. Some require laboratories and lots of expensive equipment, butmany don't. History's scientists have demonstrated immense creativity indevising ingenious ways to challenge their predictions.If yougo back to that list of steps, you can see the first part of the scientificmethod is inductive; the rest is deductive. Most scientific investigations,whether they follow the scientific method's protocol or not, shift back andforth between induction and deduction.Onefinal
note about induction and deduction. Read the descriptions of theseng processes again, then think about Sherlock Holmes, renowned as adeductive genius. Note that the collecting of clues (observations) and theformulating of a suggested solution (hypothesis) is induction, not deduction.Somehow, though, "great inductive genius" doesn't have quite the samering to it.
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