What are diverse ways that scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence?
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Science refers to the system or process of acquiring knowledge about the natural world. To study the natural world, scientists use methods that are empirical, which means that they are grounded in observations and experimentation and are not based on opinions or feelings. Scientific inquiry refers to activities and practices involving scientists’ pursuit of knowledge. Science as a way of knowing refers to the belief that the actions of science are based on logic, evidence and reasoning. Although there are other ways of knowing that may be important in our personal and cultural lives, they rely on opinion, belief and other factors rather than on evidence and testing. What Do Scientists Assume?Scientists have a certain worldview about science and their work. Their activities and practices are guided by the following assumptions:
What Makes Science Different From Other Ways of Knowing?
Unlike art, philosophy, religion and other ways of knowing, science is based on empirical research. A scientist conducts this research to answer a question that she or he has about the natural world. Empirical research relies on systematic observation and experimentation, not on opinions and feelings. These systematic observations and experiments provide research results (evidence) that must meet two criteria in order for a scientist’s research to withstand thorough questioning. These two criteria are validity and reliability. Validity means that research is relevant to the question being asked. Reliability describes the repeatability or consistency of the research. Research results are considered reliable when other scientists can perform the same experiment under the same conditions and obtain the same or similar results. Who Are Scientists and How Do They Decide What To Study?
Image Source: Microsoft Clip Art Scientists come from all walks of life and all parts of the globe. Their diversity allows them to look at problems from a variety of perspectives and search for answers in different ways. But even though their approaches may vary, they use empirical methods of inquiry. Because science and the body of scientific knowledge is so broad, most scientists specialize — just as one doctor decides to become a pediatrician, while another chooses to be a brain surgeon. In fact, scientists often spend their entire career studying a specific topic and thus may not be qualified to evaluate the results of scientists who are working in other fields of study. How Do Scientists Perform Scientific Inquiry?Scientists, like detectives, work to reveal and explain the unknown, and their inquiry methods share some similarities. The table below illustrates the similarities. Comparing the Work of Scientists and Detectives
Image Source: Microsoft Clip Art But this is where the similarity ends. In our legal system, a jury or judge makes a decision about which side is correct. Once the decision is made, it is usually final (apart from an appeal) because a person can be forced to stand trial only once for a particular crime. The scientific community, however, oftentimes must consider multiple hypotheses to explain the same phenomenon, and scientific inferences are always open to reevaluation by other scientists. What are diverse ways that scientists study the natural world?To study the natural world, scientists use methods that are empirical, which means that they are grounded in observations and experimentation and are not based on opinions or feelings. Scientific inquiry refers to activities and practices involving scientists' pursuit of knowledge.
How do we find explanations for events in the natural world?Science Produces Explanations That Can Be Tested Using Empirical Evidence. Science requires that scientific explanations of phenomena be based on events or mechanisms that can be observed in the natural world. This is how science builds a base of shared observations and ideas to which new knowledge can be added.
What is the scientific study of the natural world?Ecology - A scientific understanding of the natural world.
What motivates a scientist to study the physical and natural world?scientists said a main motivator for their career path was a lifelong interest in science and desire for intellectual challenge, according to the 2014 survey. Many of these scientists reported an interest and curiosity in science or the natural world starting in early childhood.
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