HOW CAN WE TELL SCIENCE FROM NON-SCIENCE?

Identify The Characteristics Of Science Make a list for yourself

Science is Consistent/Repeatable•The observations and results of

experiments concerning a phenomenon are reasonably the same when repeated

•REALITY CHECK #1:1. Green plants will grow towards a light source.2. Walking under a ladder will cause bad luck.

Science is Observable• with basic human senses, • or with extensions of the senses by such things

as electron microscopes, Geiger counters, etc. • If the phenomenon cannot be reproduced

under controlled conditions, natural evidence of the event's occurrence must be available for observation.

• REALITY CHECK #2: 1. Living things are made of cells.2. Sneezes happen when human beings expel

demons that entered their bodies when they

yawn.

Science is Natural•A natural cause (mechanism) must be

used to explain why or how the naturally occurring phenomenon happens.

•REALITY CHECK #3: 1. Green plants convert sunlight into food through a series of chemical reactions called photosynthesis.2. The position of the moon during a person’s birth determines their fate for life.

Science is Predictable•The natural cause (mechanism) of the

naturally occurring phenomenon can be used to make specific predictions. Each prediction can be tested to determine if the prediction is true or false.

•REALITY CHECK #4: 1. Without light green plants will die.2. The position of the moon during your birth indicates you will live a long and wealthy life.

Science is Testable/Falsifiable• The natural cause (mechanism) of the naturally

occurring event must be testable through the processes of science. Reference to supernatural events or causes are not relevant tests.

• When a hypothesis is proven false scientists accept the conclusion and move on to new explanations.

• REALITY CHECK #5: 1. Disease is caused by evil spirits.2. Disease is caused by bacteria or viruses.

• Scientific claims must be testable; we must, in principle, be able to envision a set of observations that would render them false.

Science is Tentative• Scientific explanations are open to revision

and correction. Scientific theories have been modified and will continue to be modified to consistently explain accumulated observations of naturally occurring events.

• REALITY CHECK #6:1. Living things were once grouped into 2 major groups, then 3, then 4, then 5, then 6, and now a different 3, because the data collected about living things demanded new schemes of classification that fit the information.2. We know that the earth is about 6000 years old and nothing can change that.

How to Remember

•Consistent/RepeatableConsistent/Repeatable

•Observable/Measurable/Observable/Measurable/

•Natural/ReasonableNatural/Reasonable

•Predictable Predictable

•Evidence BasedEvidence Based

•Testable/FalsifiableTestable/Falsifiable

Michael Shermer:Michael Shermer:

• I am skeptical of the Holocaust skeptics, I am skeptical of the Holocaust skeptics, the HIV-AIDS skeptics, the 9/11 skeptics, the HIV-AIDS skeptics, the 9/11 skeptics, and the global warming skeptics; I suppose and the global warming skeptics; I suppose that makes me a “believer” in the claims of that makes me a “believer” in the claims of which they’re in doubt, but “belief” is not a which they’re in doubt, but “belief” is not a good word to employ when doing science. good word to employ when doing science. Scientists do not “believe” in facts of Scientists do not “believe” in facts of nature and history; these facts just nature and history; these facts just areare. We . We no more “believe in evolution” than we no more “believe in evolution” than we “believe in gravity.” Evolution and gravity “believe in gravity.” Evolution and gravity are simply facts of nature. They exist are simply facts of nature. They exist whether we believe in them or not. whether we believe in them or not.

Assumptions of scienceAssumptions of science

• A natural world exists beyond human A natural world exists beyond human perceptionperception

• The world is not chaotic and The world is not chaotic and incomprehensible – but rather is the incomprehensible – but rather is the result of a continuous string of cause result of a continuous string of cause and effect phenomena and can be and effect phenomena and can be understood through the testing of understood through the testing of natural mechanisms for cause and natural mechanisms for cause and effect.effect.

Basic assumptions of science

1. Nature is orderly, i.e., Nature exhibits regularity, patterns, and logical structure. Laws of nature describe the order of nature.

2. We, as humans, can understand nature and comprehend the fundamental laws which govern the natural world

3. All phenomena have natural causes. Scientific explanations reject any reliance on supernatural, spiritualistic, and/or magical explanations.

4. Nothing is self evident. Truth claims must be demonstrated objectively through testing. Scientists do not rely on reputation, tradition, beliefs, or cultural norms to verify scientific knowledge

5. Knowledge in science is based on observation and is derived from acquisition of experience. Empirically. Thru senses directly or indirectly.

6. Knowledge is superior to ignorance.adapted from (Nachmias and Nachmias 1996, pp. 5-7)