Scientific Principles and Philosophy Flashcards
What are the characteristic of defenders of old theories (denialists)?
Often older
No longer feel relevant
Definition
a system of medicine detailing the makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers, positing that an excess or deficiency of any of four distinct bodily fluids in a person—known as humors or humours—directly influences their temperament and health
Define four humours
Definition
the quality of seeming reasonable or probable
Define Plausibility
Roughly what time span was the Renaissance era?
1000AD to 1800AD
Definition
a Franciscan friar who was an influential philosopher. Occam is most widely known today for a principle named after him: “Occam’s Razor”
Define William of Occam
Which two people drove the concept of evolution?
Darwin
Wallace
Who ordered the translation of complete works of Aristotle into Latin?
Thomas Aquinas
What sort of mathematics is Euclid known for?
- Geometry - Deductive treatment - Logic - Proofs - Rationalism
Which areas has Chinese innovations had a huge impact on?
Astronomy Navigation Communication
Definition
The two twentieth-century biologists who discovered the double helix of DNA
Watson and Crick
What are the hallmarks of pseudoscience?
- claims to be science
- looks like science
- uses lots of ‘scientific’ terminology
- often ignores new data, but may cite old data
- relies on old data (often very old data) and/or testimonials
- rarely modifies itself
- usually very selective
- often relies on “experts” and authorities
- does not lend itself to independent testing
- often very subjective and as such could be “beliefs” rather than science.
Define Descartes
French philosopher and mathematician. He provided a mechanistic basis for the philosophical theory of dualism and is regarded as the founder of modern philosophy. He also founded analytical geometry and contributed greatly to the science of optics
What does FiLCHeRS stand for?
Falsifiable
Logical
Comprehensive
Honest
Replicable
Sufficient
Define
Naive realism
the human tendency to believe that we see the world around us objectively, and that people who disagree with us must be uninformed, irrational, or biased
What is the correspondance theory of truth?
states that the truth or falsity of a statement is determined only by how it relates to the world and whether it accurately describes (i.e., corresponds with) that world
Define
Tycho Brahe
Danish astronomer whose observations of the planets provided the basis for Kepler’s laws of planetary motion
Definition
a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
Paradigm shift
Definition
the scientist who proposed the Continental Drift Theory in the early twentieth century. Simply put, his hypothesis proposed that the continents had once been joined, and over time had drifted apart
Alfred Wegener
Define Avicenna
a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age
Define
Pangenesis
a disproven hypothetical mechanism of heredity in which the cells throw off particles that collect in the reproductive products or in buds so that the egg or bud contains particles from all parts of the parent
What are magnetic anomalies? Why were the important in the continental drift theory?
a local variation in the Earth’s magnetic field resulting from variations in the chemistry or magnetism of the rocks. They have a mirrored pattern as they move away from mid-ocean ridges and were important for the concept of seafloor spreading being developed
Define Replicable
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any evidence in support of a given claim should not be able to be explained as ‘coincidental’, must be able to be repeated
The ancient Chinese placed emphasis on data collection rather than theory. Which central component of scientific thinking does this contribute to?
Empiricism
When was the word “scientist” first used? Why was the word created?
- Scientists used to be called ‘men of science’. As females began contributing to scientific discoveries this become inappropriate so the word ‘scientist’ was made
Define
Ernest Rutherford
British physicist (born in New Zealand) who discovered the atomic nucleus and proposed a nuclear model of the atom
What are some of the observations made by ancient Chinese cultures that fed into ‘modern science’?
- Earth revolved around the Sun (Mo Tzu) - Ideas similar to Newton’s 1st law (Mo Tzu) - Earliest record of Haley’s comet 613BC
Define astrology
a pseudoscience relating to the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world
Define placebo effect
a beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment, which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient’s belief in that treatment
How should you go about designing a test for a pseudoscience claim?
- Ask a specific question,
- Consider blind/double blind experiments and the use of controls,
- Collect quantitative data – which variables are meaningful and what will you measure?
- How many replicates/subjects will you use?
- How will you recruit them?
- How long will the experiment/test run?
- Can your hypothesis be falsified?
Define Haley’s comet
a short-period comet visible from Earth every 74–79 years. Halley’s returns to the inner Solar System have been observed and recorded by astronomers since at least 240 BC.
Define
Marie Tharp
an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who, in partnership with Bruce Heezen, created the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor
Define
Rosalind Franklin
an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made contributions to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite
Define Water Divining
attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, gravesites, and many other objects and materials without the use of scientific apparatus
Definition
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any argument offered as evidence in support of a given claim being valid and sound
Define Logical
Why does pseudoscience arise?
- to increase the credibility of a claim. Overall, we accept that science has greatly improved our health and delivered us technological advances such as those in communication. This gives claims based on science greater weight than opinions.
- because pseudoscience is easier and cheaper (much) than doing real science
- frequently, but not always, it is used for financial gain - that is, to promote a product or service
- to support something people want to believe.
Definition
Greek philosopher and mathematician who theorized that numbers constitute the essence of all natural things. He developed the Pythagorean theorem and was one of the first to apply mathematical order to observations of the stars
Define Pythagoras
Define
Copernicus
Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center
Define pseudoscience
a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method
Who developed rules for deductive reasoining?
Aristotle
Who was a significant figure who opposed the idea of evolution?
Richard Owen (founded the Natural History Museum)
Who discovered pi?
Archimedes
Definition
an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiricism
Define Roger Bacon
Definition
Greek philosopher. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western intellectual and scientific thought
Define Aristotle
Why did the idea of continental drift regain currency in the 1960s?
Mapping of the ocean floor by Marie Tharp and the discovery of ‘mountains’ in the ocean
After the flowering of philosophy, geometry and detailed observations of the Greek period, there was a lull until the European Renaissance. What was this era known as?
Middle Ages
Definition
an eminent English naturalist, explorer and botanist, noted for his promotion of natural sciences
Joseph Banks
Who showed that the Earth is spherical?
Aristotle
In regards to pseudoscience, what are you obligations as a scientist?
You must:
- Separate what you want to be true from what is true
- Report what the data tells you, not what your boss or anyone else tells you
Definition
alternative medicine supported by pseudoscience involving a detoxifying and nutritional programme designed to stimulate the immune system
Define Gerson therapy
Define Aristotle
Greek philosopher. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western intellectual and scientific thought
Define Giovanni Schuaparelli
Italian astronomer and senator whose reports of groups of straight lines on Mars touched off much controversy on the possible existence of life on that planet
Why was Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift rejected?
- Skepticism
- Not enough data
- No mechanism
- Huge forces required, “impossible”
- No ‘need’ for it
Prior to the theory of continental drift, what was the belief about continents?
Continents had fixed positions
Definition
English mathematician and physicist; remembered for developing the calculus and for his law of gravitation and his three laws of motion
Define Newton
Define Renaissance
the period of European history marking the waning of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world: usually considered as beginning in Italy in the 14th century
Definition
a beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment, which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must therefore be due to the patient’s belief in that treatment
Define placebo effect
Who was considered more of a scientist: Leonardo da Vinci or Galileo? Why?
Galileo; he emphasised the importance of collecting data through observation and experimentation. da Vinci did not
Define
Paradigm shift
a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
Definition
a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method
Define pseudoscience
What are the four famous great Chinese inventions?
Paper Printing Magnetic Compass Gunpowder
Define falsifiable
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to is being possible to produce quantitative evidence that would prove a claim false
Definition
The theory that the earth revolves around the Sun
Heliocentric theory
Definition
a pseudoscience relating to the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world
Define astrology
Definition
French philosopher and mathematician. He provided a mechanistic basis for the philosophical theory of dualism and is regarded as the founder of modern philosophy. He also founded analytical geometry and contributed greatly to the science of optics
Define Descartes
Define False dichotomy
A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available
Roughly what time span was the Ancient Greek era?
1000BC to 0AD
During the Tang and Song dynasties, _______ was the world leader in technology and science (600 AD to 1500 AD).
China
How did Greek knowledge get lost?
When the Roman Empire took over they could not read the texts that were in Greek
Define Middle Ages
the period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the fall of Constantinople (1453)
Definition
the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
Evolution
Roughly what time span was the Middle Ages era?
0AD to 1000AD
Define
Darwin
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection
Who developed logic, made observations and developed mathematics?
Ancient Greeks
Definition
an acronym useful to determine if a claim is based on pseudoscience or science Falsifiable i Logical Comprehensive Honest e Replicable Sufficient
Define FiLCHeRS
Which well known Europeans contributed the development of science in the Middle Ages?
Roger Bacon William of Ockham
Define Plausibility
the quality of seeming reasonable or probable
Define utility
the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial
Which well known figures contributed the development of science in the Renaissance?
Leonardo da Vinci Francis Bacon Galileo
Definition
a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age
Define Avicenna
Define
Linnaeus
a Swedish botanist who created the current system for classifying plants and animals
Define validity
the quality of being logically or factually sound
Definition
the human tendency to believe that we see the world around us objectively, and that people who disagree with us must be uninformed, irrational, or biased
Naive realism
Define Gerson therapy
alternative medicine supported by pseudoscience involving a detoxifying and nutritional programme designed to stimulate the immune system
Define Pythagoras
Greek philosopher and mathematician who theorized that numbers constitute the essence of all natural things. He developed the Pythagorean theorem and was one of the first to apply mathematical order to observations of the stars
What are the three eras of the development of science?
Ancient Greece Middle Ages Renaissance
What were the notable characteristics of Wegener?
Young
Outside the field
Ignored/ridiculed by the establishment
Define
Alfred Wallace
a British naturalist, biogeographer, author and humanitarian best known for developing a theory of evolution through natural selection independently of Charles Darwin
Definition
Arab mathematician and astronomer who compiled an early work on arithmetic and the oldest astronomical tables. His work was widely translated into Latin, introducing Arabic numerals and algebraic concepts to Western mathematics
Define Al-Khwarizmi
Definition
a short-period comet visible from Earth every 74–79 years. Halley’s returns to the inner Solar System have been observed and recorded by astronomers since at least 240 BC.
Define Haley’s comet
Name 3 Greeks that contributed to modern western science
Euclid Archimedes Aristotle
Define Sufficient
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any evidence offered in support of a claim being adequate o establish the truth of that claim
Definition
the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region
Vernacular
Define Thomas Aquinas
an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest and Doctor of the Church. Thomas embraced several ideas put forward by Aristotle—whom he called “the Philosopher”—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity
Define Roger Bacon
an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiricism
Definition
an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer who, in partnership with Bruce Heezen, created the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor
Marie Tharp
Definition
attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, gravesites, and many other objects and materials without the use of scientific apparatus
Define Water Divining
Definition
British physicist (born in New Zealand) who discovered the atomic nucleus and proposed a nuclear model of the atom
Ernest Rutherford
Define
Johannes Kepler
German astronomer and mathematician who is considered the founder of celestial mechanics. He was first to accurately describe the elliptical orbits of Earth and the planets around the Sun and demonstrated that planets move fastest when they are closest to the Sun
Definition
Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars; demonstrated that different weights descend at the same rate; perfected the refracting telescope that enabled him to make many discoveries
Define Galileo
Definition
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any evidence offered in support of a claim being adequate o establish the truth of that claim
Define Sufficient
Definition
an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest and Doctor of the Church. Thomas embraced several ideas put forward by Aristotle—whom he called “the Philosopher”—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity
Define Thomas Aquinas
Definition
a typical example or pattern of something; a model
Paradigm
Definition
Greek mathematician and inventor, of Syracuse. He is famous for his discovery of Archimedes’ principle (legend has it that he made this discovery while taking a bath, and ran through the streets shouting ‘Eureka!’); among his mathematical discoveries are the ratio of the radius of a circle to its circumference, and formulas for the surface area and volume of a sphere and of a cylinder
Define Archimedes
Define Newton
English mathematician and physicist; remembered for developing the calculus and for his law of gravitation and his three laws of motion
What are the hallmarks of science?
- corrects and updates itself
- embraces new results
- is not selective
- does not depend on authorities
- welcomes testing and verification
- is objective.
Define epoch
a particular period of time in history or a person’s life
Definition
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any evidence in support of a given claim should not be able to be explained as ‘coincidental’, must be able to be repeated
Define Replicable
Definition
a disproven hypothetical mechanism of heredity in which the cells throw off particles that collect in the reproductive products or in buds so that the egg or bud contains particles from all parts of the parent
Pangenesis
Definition
the quality of being logically or factually sound
Define validity
Define
Paradigm
a typical example or pattern of something; a model
Definition
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any evidence offered in support of a given claim being evaluated without deception
Define Honest
What were some key contributions from Greek culture to modern western science?
- Rationalism - Mathematics - Empiricism - Communication
Definition
an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made contributions to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite
Rosalind Franklin
Define homeopathy
a system of complementary medicine in which ailments are treated by minute doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the ailment backed by pseudoscience
Define Galileo
Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars; demonstrated that different weights descend at the same rate; perfected the refracting telescope that enabled him to make many discoveries
Define
Evolution
the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth
Define FiLCHeRS
an acronym useful to determine if a claim is based on pseudoscience or science Falsifiable i Logical Comprehensive Honest e Replicable Sufficient
What were the two important breakthroughs in mathematics? Where did they originate?
- Development of the Arabic numerals - Invention of the decimal system Both of these have their origins in India and the Middle East
Definition
a Swedish botanist who created the current system for classifying plants and animals
Linnaeus
Who used the 60-base number system first: the Greeks or the Babylonians?
Babylonians
Definition
French naturalist who introduced the taxonomic distinction between vertebrates and invertebrates. His theory that the acquired characteristics of a species could be inherited by later generations was a forerunner to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, although it was eventually discredited
Lamarck
Definition
Greek mathematician who applied the deductive principles of logic to geometry, thereby deriving statements from clearly defined axioms. His Elements remained influential as a geometry textbook until the 19th century
Define Euclid
Who first drove the theory of continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
Definition
the period of European history marking the waning of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world: usually considered as beginning in Italy in the 14th century
Define Renaissance
Define Euclid
Greek mathematician who applied the deductive principles of logic to geometry, thereby deriving statements from clearly defined axioms. His Elements remained influential as a geometry textbook until the 19th century
Define Logical
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any argument offered as evidence in support of a given claim being valid and sound
Definition
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection
Darwin
Define four humours
a system of medicine detailing the makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers, positing that an excess or deficiency of any of four distinct bodily fluids in a person—known as humors or humours—directly influences their temperament and health
Define comprehensive
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to the evidence offered in support of a given claim being exhaustive, with all evidence being analysed
Definition
German astronomer and mathematician who is considered the founder of celestial mechanics. He was first to accurately describe the elliptical orbits of Earth and the planets around the Sun and demonstrated that planets move fastest when they are closest to the Sun
Johannes Kepler
Define
Vernacular
the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region
Prof Peter Doherty called Archimedes the first scientist. Why?
There was a problem Archimedes used logic He built a model based on known information He made a prediction/hypothesis He tested it Publically announced results
Definition
Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center
Copernicus
Define
Watson and Crick
The two twentieth-century biologists who discovered the double helix of DNA
Define Honest
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to any evidence offered in support of a given claim being evaluated without deception
Definition
A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available
Define False dichotomy
Definition
the period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the fall of Constantinople (1453)
Define Middle Ages
Define
Lamarck
French naturalist who introduced the taxonomic distinction between vertebrates and invertebrates. His theory that the acquired characteristics of a species could be inherited by later generations was a forerunner to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, although it was eventually discredited
Define Al-Khwarizmi
Arab mathematician and astronomer who compiled an early work on arithmetic and the oldest astronomical tables. His work was widely translated into Latin, introducing Arabic numerals and algebraic concepts to Western mathematics
Definition
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to is being possible to produce quantitative evidence that would prove a claim false
Define falsifiable
Define
Joseph Banks
an eminent English naturalist, explorer and botanist, noted for his promotion of natural sciences
Definition
the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial
Define utility
Define William of Occam
a Franciscan friar who was an influential philosopher. Occam is most widely known today for a principle named after him: “Occam’s Razor”
Define
Alfred Wegener
the scientist who proposed the Continental Drift Theory in the early twentieth century. Simply put, his hypothesis proposed that the continents had once been joined, and over time had drifted apart
Define
Heliocentric theory
The theory that the earth revolves around the Sun
Definition
a particular period of time in history or a person’s life
Define epoch
Define Archimedes
Greek mathematician and inventor, of Syracuse. He is famous for his discovery of Archimedes’ principle (legend has it that he made this discovery while taking a bath, and ran through the streets shouting ‘Eureka!’); among his mathematical discoveries are the ratio of the radius of a circle to its circumference, and formulas for the surface area and volume of a sphere and of a cylinder
Definition
part of the acronym FiLCHeRS - refers to the evidence offered in support of a given claim being exhaustive, with all evidence being analysed
Define comprehensive
Definition
Danish astronomer whose observations of the planets provided the basis for Kepler’s laws of planetary motion
Tycho Brahe
Who translated many Greek texts into Arabic?
Avicenna
Definition
a British naturalist, biogeographer, author and humanitarian best known for developing a theory of evolution through natural selection independently of Charles Darwin
Alfred Wallace
Definition
Italian astronomer and senator whose reports of groups of straight lines on Mars touched off much controversy on the possible existence of life on that planet
Define Giovanni Schuaparelli
Definition
a system of complementary medicine in which ailments are treated by minute doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the ailment backed by pseudoscience
Define homeopathy
