Unit 1 - Why Study Science? Flashcards
Describe the scientific point of view in a general way.
“In science, the goal is to obtain as accurate a description of nature as is possible. This means that the scientific point of view seeks to strip away anything that might introduce bias or misperception into its methods and modes of analysis, to the extent that this is possible.”
“This knowledge is the knowledge of a point of view—of how to go about doing science—rather than any specific knowledge of the nature of the world itself, other than the knowledge that the world is such that science is possible. A person who knows how to approach nature in a scientific way knows how to construct theories; a person who knows a scientific theory knows something that may be replaced in the future.”
- Describe the inductive attitude, and state the moral qualities associated with it.
“Pólya points out that in our personal life there may be certain beliefs we do not dare question, because doing so would prove too upsetting to our emotional balance. In science, however, we must be willing to question everything. In his words, the inductive attitude “aims at adapting our beliefs to our experience as efficiently as possible. It requires a certain preference for what is matter of fact.” He goes on to list three moral qualities associated with this attitude:
- Intellectual Courage: To be ready to revise any one of our beliefs.
- Intellectual Honesty: To be willing to change a belief when there is a compelling reason to change it.
- Wise Restraint: Not to change beliefs capriciously, without good reason.”
Provide at least three reasons why it is important to understand science, at least in a general way.
“How is it possible to make judgements about the role of science in society until we are clear not only about the nature of science, but also about the way that science interacts with the rest of human society?”
“Many popular images of science are out of date. In addition, there is little popular understanding of the scientific point of view. As a result, scientific concepts and results are often misinterpreted. For these reasons, it is important to understand science and the scientific point of view, even if one has no plans to engage in scientific activity.”
“The public press often publishes inflated claims about a scientific discovery; or, in some egregious cases, false claims intended to spread fear in support of an agenda.”
“Advertisers, political consultants, and propagandists of all sorts are quick to use the language of science as a form of magical incantation, and the public response—if it sounds scientific it must be scientific—is totally predictable. Furthermore, the methods that these opinion manipulators use to sell us their particular brand of beer, automobile, prescription medication, political candidate or whatever, are firmly grounded in scientific research on conditioning, hypnosis and brainwashing.”
“The division between science and the humanities is particularly distressing in light of the historical fact that the beginnings of modern science (in ancient Greece and then in the Scientific Revolution) coincide with two of the greatest periods of literary and artistic production in the history of the world. Surely this cannot have been coincidental!”
State three significant differences between the scientific and religious approaches to the world.
“Science and religion deal with different aspects of existence. If one dares to over-schematize for the sake of clarity, one may say that these are the aspect of fact and the aspect of meaning.” (meaning vs factual knowledge)
“Scientific statements are ultimately statements about sensory information. Religious statements, on the other hand, are ultimately statements about that which we cannot perceive with our senses.”
“The discourse of science is always a public discourse. Science is conveyed in terms which can (at least in principle) be precisely defined. In contrast, religious experiences can be private and are often ineffable, that is, incapable of being expressed in well-defined terms.”
“Finally, the results of science are always tentative results, subject to revision in the light of new evidence or better ideas. Religious statements, in contrast, are not generally intended to be tentative statements subject to revision. Religion is concerned with knowing eternal truths; science is concerned with discovering new and improved ways to understand the world.”
Discuss, in your own words, some general aspects of the relation between science and society, and between science and religion.
Society
“Science, by itself, provides no panacea for individual, social, and economic ills. But without scientific progress no amount of achievement in other directions can insure our health, prosperity, and security.”
“Advances in scientific understanding enable the development of new technologies.”
“While the motivation of a scientist is often simply curiosity and a desire to understand nature, the motivation of society to fund science (through its government) is generally more practical. Economic prosperity, military security, and better health are more often cited as reasons for societal support of science.”
Religion
“How did it happen that so many conflicts occurred? Presumably, these conflicts occur when religion invades the realm of discourse proper to science, or science invades the realm of discourse proper to religion, or else there is some genuine overlap between the two.”
Meaning, faith, and experience.
“In order to do science at all, scientists must have an underlying faith that nature is subject to scientific understanding, that nature is in some sense lawful, rational, and scientists must also have an implicit faith that the overall premises and methodologies of science are valid.”
“In science, experience means experience through sensory perception (and its extension
by instrumentation). This is essentially what we mean by empirical observation. Religious experiences, on the other hand, are not primarily sensory experiences (the senses may have some involvement, but ultimately the experience is not one of sensory perception). Instead, they are internal experiences.”
“If nature is the embodiment of some spiritual divine presence, then the study of nature (i.e., science) is a way to better know this divine presence.”
“Values and ethics certainly constitute an area where religion and science intersect.”
“I will suggest one last broad area where science and religion can meet: the question of what it means to be human. This question is asked both by science and by religion, each in its own way. We have, unavoidably, an area of mutual interest.”
Write a short essay (300-500 words) contrasting the scientific and religious senses of the word “meaning,” as described in Chapter 9 of What Science Is.
“Meaning is central to both religion and science, but once again the sense of the word “meaning” is quite different in the two cases.”
“Bringing order and coherence to a set of otherwise unrelated facts and observations certainly gives these facts and observations meaning. This is one of the important things that science does, and in this limited sense meaning is crucial to scientific thinking. However, meaning in the sense of ultimate significance or metaphysical purpose is alien to scientific thinking, whereas this kind of meaning is relevant to (perhaps even crucial to)
religious thought. Consider as an example an epidemic in which many thousands of people die. If we can identify a microorganism causing the disease and determine how it is spread, we have provided a scientific meaning for the seemingly random patterns of death. But to ascertain the spiritual meaning of these deaths, if there is any, requires a different mode of thinking.”
Write a short essay (300-500 words) discussing a question of public concern involving some aspect of science or technology.
Genetic engineering. Climate change.
Give examples from your own life of times when you have acted in accordance with the three moral qualities that are involved in the inductive attitude.
Changing beliefs, ie. on homosexuality or abortion. Or the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption.
Find at least six cases from newspapers, magazines or television in which an unsubstantiated overt or covert appeal to science is used to sell a product.
Vitamin and mineral supplements.
- Consider one of your own beliefs about the world (for example, a belief about an important social issue).
a. How does this belief function in allowing you to make judgements about your own behaviour? How does it help you in fitting together a view of appropriate actions in the world?
b. How does this belief fit into your larger model of what the world is like?
c. What evidence would cause you to change this belief?
