SCIENCE--What's It All About
It is often asked what is science and how does it work. Lots has been written on this subject, but the clearest and most concise explanation I have run across is by Dr. Eric Chaisson in his recent book, Epic of Evolution*.
He says “The scientific method normally works like this: First, gather some data by observing and object or event, then propose and idea to explain the data, and finally test the idea by experimenting with Nature. Those ideas that pass the tests are selected, accumulated, and conveyed, while those that don’t are discarded. In this way, by means of a selective editing or pruning of ideas, scientists discriminate between sense and nonsense. We gain an even better approximation of reality. Not that science claims to reveal the truth--whatever that is--just to gain an increasingly accurate model of Nature."
He says “The scientific method normally works like this: First, gather some data by observing and object or event, then propose and idea to explain the data, and finally test the idea by experimenting with Nature. Those ideas that pass the tests are selected, accumulated, and conveyed, while those that don’t are discarded. In this way, by means of a selective editing or pruning of ideas, scientists discriminate between sense and nonsense. We gain an even better approximation of reality. Not that science claims to reveal the truth--whatever that is--just to gain an increasingly accurate model of Nature."
*Colombia University Press, 2006.
posted by Ted @ 2:23 PM
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