biology, biologists, and society what is science? science is a way of knowing based on experimental...
TRANSCRIPT
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.
Discovery or observational science.
Hypothesis-driven or experimental science.
Two Primary Approaches to 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.
Note that two independent experiments reject the hypothesis of spontaneous generation and support the alternative hypothesis that life comes only from existing life.
A Classic Application of the Scientific Method
Rejection of a hypothesis proves it wrong; support of a hypothesis doesn’t prove it right.
Scientific Proof?
Some Scientific Questions Can’t Be Answered By Experimentation
One current view of hominid evolution.
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 hypothesis is a testable prediction.
A fact is an undisputed piece of information derived from observation.
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?
Reality:Scientists can be egocentric, emotional nutcakes at least as well as anyone.
The Textbook CaseScientists are dispassionate and always reasoned in their approaches to their discipline and the world around them.
What Does Biology Offer Society?
Lot’s in terms of medicine, agriculture, maintaining a healthy environment, and basic understanding of ourselves and our world.
One of many recent examples of “good” biology.
Science and scientists of all kinds are poorly understood by the public and scientists tend to poorly understand the public
How Does Society Understand Biology and Biologists?
The Scope and Limitations of Science
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.
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
all of this
some of this
Biology and its study are arranged hierarchically.
New properties (emergent properties) arise at each level of organization.