Biology, Biologists, and Society
What is science?
Science is a way of knowing based on
experimental or observational evidence
and its interpretation.
Science is a discipline largely defined by
its primary method – the scientific
method.
Two Primary Approaches to Science
Hypothesis-driven or
experimental science.
Discovery or
observational
science.
How (Most) Science Works –
The Scientific Method and
Hypothesis-Driven Science
Its not all mechanics intuition, hunches, and a feel
for the system under study
drive scientific investigations.
Should be
falsifiable.
A Classic Application of the Scientific Method
Note that it’s fine to have more than one testable hypothesis.
A Classic Application of the Scientific Method
Note that two independent experiments reject the hypothesis of spontaneous
generation and support the alternative hypothesis that life comes only from
existing life.
Scientific Proof?
Rejection of a hypothesis proves it wrong; support of a hypothesis doesn’t
prove it right.
• Is carbonation bad for
your bones?
Some Scientific Questions Can’t Be
Answered By Experimentation
• Discovery or
observational science
is still science;
falsifiable hypotheses
based on natural
phenomenon are
proposed to best
account for
observations.
Provisional Assent – Scientific Ideas Can Only Be Proven Wrong
A theory stands because observations or experimentation never proves its
tenets wrong.
This doesn’t prove the theory is correct – only that its never been proved wrong.
In this sense, scientific knowledge is provisional.
But what’s a theory?
Fact, Hypothesis and Theory
These terms, especially theory, are commonly misunderstood.
A fact is an undisputed piece of information derived from observation.
A hypothesis is a testable prediction.
A good hypothesis should be falsifiable.
A theory is a general set of principles that explain some natural phenomenon.
Examples of scientific theories are the theory of gravitation, the atomic
theory, the cell theory, and the theory of evolution.
What Kind of People Are Scientists?
The Textbook Case
Scientists are dispassionate and always reasoned in
their approaches to their discipline and the world
around them.
Reality:
Scientists can be egocentric, emotional nutcakes at least as well as anyone.
One Human Side of Science
How Does Society Understand
Biology and Biologists?
Science and scientists of all kinds are poorly understood by the public and
scientists tend to poorly understand the public
The Scope and Limitations of
Science (REVIEW)
Science acquires knowledge through examination of falsifiable
hypotheses based on natural phenomena.
This sets a limit on science; science cannot speak directly to such issues as
morality or religion.
The domain and limit of science are often misunderstood.
What Does Biology Offer Society?
Lot’s in terms of medicine,
agriculture, maintaining a healthy
environment, and basic
understanding of ourselves and our
world.
LEVELS
LIFE (Are you alive?)
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The Scope and Limitations
of Science Are More Than
An Academic Issue
The Scope and Limitations of Science Are More Than An
Academic Issue
The Scope and Limitations of Science Are More Than An
Academic Issue
Summary points of the December 20, 2005 Kitzmiller v.
Dover Area School District ruling:
Is this the final word on evolution and alternatives in the classroom?
Hardly.
The Scope of Biology
some of
this
all of this
Biology and its study are arranged hierarchically.
New properties (emergent properties) arise at each level of organization.
Evolution Is Biology’s Unifying Principle
EVOLUTION