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Communicating Ocean Sciences

Session 2: The Nature of Science

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Science not as a noun…but a a process, a set of activities, a way of proceeding and thinking.

--Tinker & Thornton, 1992

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Session 2 objectives

Appreciate that: Scientists use a wide range of inquiry

methods Science is based on observations and

hypotheses within a testable framework of ideas

Science is collaborative Scientific “truth” evolves over time Non-scientific ideas are sometimes presented

as scientific to the general public

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Quick write

What’s the most important thing you personally took away from the reading?

Why do you think we chose to assign this reading, both in the overall course and specifically now for this session on the nature of science?

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What is science?

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Thought Swap

What is science?

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Thought Swap

What is not science?

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Thought Swap

When is something not a science but appears scientific?

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Thought Swap

What are some of the pitfalls people sometimes fall into when attempting to do science?

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Categorizing Statements

• Scientific• Not Scientific• Not scientific, but

seems scientific

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So, what is science?

Science is a set of methods designed to describe and interpret observed or inferred phenomena, past or present, and aimed at building a testable body of knowledge open to rejection or confirmation.

--Michael Shermer

Director of Skeptics Society

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So, what is science?

Science is a limitless voyage of joyous exploration

--Walt Whitman

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So, what is science?

Science is a limited way of knowing, looking at just the natural world and natural causes. There are a lot of ways human beings understand the universe --through literature, theology, aesthetics, art or music.

--Dr. Eugenie Scott

Executive Director National

Center for Science Education

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Science is…• Evidence and testability• Consistency• Cause and Effect

relationship• Objectivity• Peer review

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Science is not…

• A belief system• The absolute truth• One scientist’s

opinion

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Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science*

Fact: In science, an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed and for all practical purposes is accepted as "true." Truth in science, however, is never final, and what is accepted as a fact today may be modified or even discarded tomorrow.

*Adapted from Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science by the National Academy of Sciences (Washington, D.C.:

National Academy Press, 1998).

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Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science*

Hypothesis: A tentative statement about the natural world leading to deductions that can be tested. If the deductions are verified, the hypothesis is provisionally corroborated. If the deductions are incorrect, the original hypothesis is proved false and must be abandoned or modified. Hypotheses can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations.

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Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science*

Law: A descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves under stated circumstances.

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Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science*

Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.

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The contention that evolution should be taught as a "theory, not as a fact" confuses the common use of these words with the scientific use. In science, theories do not turn into facts through the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the end points of science. They are understandings that develop from extensive observation, experimentation, and creative reflection. They incorporate a large body of scientific facts, laws, tested hypotheses, and logical inferences. In this sense, evolution is one of the strongest and most useful scientific theories we have.

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Ice Cubes Open-ended Investigation

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Ice Cubes Directed Investigation

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Ice Cubes Scientific Discussion

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Why people believe weird things

Problems in scientific thinking

Problems in pseudoscientific thinking

Psychological problems in thinking

Flying Spaghetti Monster

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Homework

Response questions