CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENCE
Brief
Ana Lilia Acosta Patoni
2013
SCIENCE
• Science is the use of
evidence to construct
testable explanations
and predictions of
natural phenomena, as
well as the knowledge
generated through this
process.
• The observation,
identification,
description,
experimental
investigation, and
theoretical explanation
of phenomena.
Characteristics of Science
• 1. It is guided by natural law
– The pursuit of scientific
knowledge must be guided by the
physical and chemical laws that
govern the universe (state of
existence).
• 2. It has to be explained by
referencing these natural laws.
– Scientific knowledge must
explain what is observed by
reference in nature.
• We cannot invoke the
explanations based on
supernatural deities (ghosts,
angels, gremlins, fairies, etc.)
miracles, or magic.
– Science must only rely on
observable, testable evidence
which must either support or not
support hypotheses.
Extraordinary claims require
extraordinary evidence.
Characteristics of Science
• 3. Science is testable against the
observable world.
– We must be able to make
observations in the real world,
directly or indirectly, ask
questions, or form and test
hypotheses = a tentative, causal
explanation/answer for an
observation or phenomenon.
_ We use observations and/or
tests to answer questions about
the natural world.
– Science relies on observable,
testable evidence, which must
either support or not support
hypotheses
• 4. Its conclusions are tentative,
that is, are not necessarily the
final word.
_ If we draw a conclusion based
on some observation or test on
some event, we must be ready
always to discard or to modify our
conclusion, if further
observations falsify it.
_ Can’t be scientific if you start
with a conclusion and refuse to
change it regardless of the
evidence developed during the
course of the investigation.
Characteristics of Science
• 5. It is falsifiable. (capable of
being tested (verified or falsified)
by experiment or observation)
•
You must be able to disprove
any statement. If there is no
possibility that the statement
cannot be correct, then it isn’t
science. What this means is that
science will seek out errors and
correct them. Unlike other
philosophies, it’s a self-correcting
system. We add to and take away
information on a daily basis
depending on new discoveries
and new evidence.
• 6. It relies on evidence that is
testable (from observations and
experimentations). If we cannot
make repeated observations or
experiments to gather
information, then it is outside the
realm of science (e.g. UFO’s,
haunted houses, etc.).
Characteristics of Science
• 7. One cannot ever
prove things true or
false in science.
Probability plays a role,
as do critical values.
• 8. Correlation does not
imply Causation. Just
because the price of
beans in China goes up
when the Dalllas
Cowboys football team
loses does NOT mean
the loss caused the
bean prices to go up
Some web pages
• http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/articl
e/nature_06
Science is based on evidence, not votes.
• Conclusions of science are
reliable, though tentative.
Science is always a work in
progress, and its conclusions
are always tentative. But just
as the word "theory" means
something special to the
scientist, so too does the word
"tentative."
.
Science's conclusions are not
tentative in the sense that they
are temporary until the real
answer comes along. Scientific
conclusions are well founded in
their factual content and
thinking and are tentative only in
the sense that all ideas are open
to scrutiny. In science, the
tentativeness of ideas such as
the nature of atoms, cells, stars
or the history of the Earth refers
to the willingness of scientists to
modify their ideas as new
evidence appears.
• Science is not democratic.
Scientific ideas are subject
to scrutiny from near and
far, but nobody ever takes a
vote. If the question of plate
tectonics had been decided
democratically when it was
first presented in the early
twentieth century, we
would, today, have no
explanation for the origins
of much of Earth's terrain.
Scientific ideas are accepted
or rejected instead on the
basis of evidence.
.
Science is based on evidence,
not votes.
• Science is non-dogmatic.
Nothing in the scientific
enterprise or literature
requires belief. To ask
someone to accept ideas
purely on faith, even when
these ideas are expressed by
"experts," is unscientific.
While science must make
some assumptions, such as
the idea that we can trust our
senses, explanations and
conclusions are accepted only
to the degree that they are
well founded and continue to
stand up to scrutiny.
• Science cannot make moral
or aesthetic decisions.
Scientists can infer the
relationships of flowering
plants from their anatomy,
DNA, and fossils, but they
cannot scientifically assert
that a rose is prettier than a
daisy. Being human,
scientists make moral and
aesthetic judgments and
choices, as do all citizens of
our planet, but such
decisions are not part of
science.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/nature_06
What Are the Key Principles of
Biomedical Ethics?
• What Are the Key
Principles of Biomedical
Ethics?
Read more: What Are the
Key Principles of
Biomedical Ethics? |
eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/in
fo_8349120_keyprinciples-biomedicalethics.html#ixzz2MAZ4IM
GV
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Code of Ethics
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Modern Examples
Many organizations and professions have come up with their own "universal code of ethics." For
example, the scientists' professional code of ethics includes the following moral standards[citation
needed]:
Act with skill and care in all scientific work. Maintain up to date skills and assist their development
in others.
Take steps to prevent corrupt practices and professional misconduct.
Declare conflicts of interest.
Be alert to the ways research derives from and affects the work of other people, and respect the
rights and reputations of others.
Ensure that your work is lawful and justified.
Minimise and justify any adverse effect your work may have on people, animals and the natural
environment.
Seek to discuss the issues that science raises for society. Listen to the aspirations and concerns of
others.
Do not knowingly mislead, or allow others to be misled, about scientific matters. Present and
review scientific evidence, theory or interpretation honestly and accurately.
SHOULD SCIENCE BE GUIDED
BY ETHICS?
• SHOULD SCIENCE BE GUIDED BY
ETHICS?