The Nature of Science

Reading AssignmentChapter 8 in Teaching

Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a Starting

Point

The Nature of ScienceThe nature of science refers to the underlying tendencies and

unspoken assumptions that guide the action of scientists, as individuals and as part of a larger cultural group, in shaping the knowledge that science produces.

Scientific inquiry refers to actions involved in scientists’ pursuit of knowledge.

The ultimate purpose of science is to understand and explain the physical world using empirical methods.

Empirical Methods – means knowledge is grounded in observations and experimentation and not opinions and sensations. (Think about this when we view An Inconvenient Truth.)

Scientific Inquiry

• Science demands evidence achieved through processes, but does not necessarily follow a recipe of steps, like the scientific method.

• Ex. Jane Goodall and chimpanzee culture.

• Science is a blend of logic and imagination.

• Science explains and predicts.

• Scientists try to identify and avoid bias.

• Science is not authoritarian.

Creativity of Science and Scientific Knowledge

• Explanations are generated from evidence.

• Scientist strive to be objective and unbiased, but are influenced by their background knowledge.

• There is NO one scientific method.

Science as a Social Enterprise

• Science is a complex social activity.

• Science is organized into content disciplines for specialization, yet the there are many new integrated fields (ex. Oceanography).

• Uses accepted principles of ethics and conduct.

• Scientists have a social responsibility and participate in public affairs as experts and as citizens.

Tentative Nature of Scientific KnowledgeScientific Ideas can and do change as new discoveries are

made. This may be the result of the invention of new technology.

Examples: http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/1122science5.html

Position of Earth in Universe Theory of Plate Tectonics

The Theory of Plate Tectonics was not accepted until new technologies allowed scientists to map the ocean floor.

Science Knowledge

• Laws describe common patterns in the physical world. They do not explain the patterns. Ex. Law of universal gravitation.

• Theories are the best, most powerful, and most supported

and accepted explanation for natural phenomena. Explanations only achieve the status of a theory after they have been rigorously tested and are he best explanations that scientists have developed with the available evidence.

• One common misconception - Theories do not become laws.

A Review of the Scientific World View

• The world is understandable.

• Scientific ideas are subject to change.

• Scientific knowledge is durable & rejects the notion of absolute truth.

• Science cannot provide the answers to all questions (opinions and faith).

Questions that Can be Answered through Science

Which of the following questions can be answered by science?

• How does fertilizer affect plant growth?• Do humans have a soul?• What causes the different phases of the moon?• What is the atom made of?• What is art?• Should I steal this candy bar?

The Nature of Science

AAAS Project 2061 categorize the nature of science in the following:

The Scientific WorldviewScientific InquiryThe Scientific Enterprise

To read more in depth, go to: http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap1.htm http://undsci.berkeley.edu/index.php

Excellent Sites on the Nature of Science

Nature of Sciencehttp://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/nature_01

Understanding Science: How Science Really Workshttp://undsci.berkeley.edu/index.php

Misconceptions about Sciencehttp://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/misconceptions.php#b3