HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE GST 118

THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF SCIENCE

Defining Science Science can be defined using three approaches, namely: 1) etymology, 2) identification of the disciplines that are categorized under science, and 3) defining what science is by looking at the historical development of science Science etymologically means ‘scientia.’ it is a Latin word which literally means “to know” or “knowledge” Science by disciplinary approach can be divided into five, namely, natural science, social science, applied science, medical and health science, and formal science

Defining Science The scholarly definition of science sees it as knowledge about the structure and behavior of the natural and physical world, based on the facts that one can prove, for example by experiments Also, it is a system for organizing the knowledge about a particular subject, especially one concerned with the aspects of human behavior or society

The Development of Science Historically, science can be said to be as old as the first man’s quest to know. If science is knowledge, it is as old as human being because man has always had the quest to know. Man has always sought knowledge of their environment. This would include the evolutionary and the religious explanation of the origin of life, the nature of man and its place in it as attempt to have knowledge of nature. However, science as we have come to know it today has its origin in what dates back to:

The Development of Science 1)Cosmology and ontology of the ancient philosophers: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes et al. which are efforts to have knowledge of reality, though, with a mixture of mythology, mysticism, et. al. 2)Aristotlean science. It was him that first made effort to distinguish between Metaphysics (Meta–beyond) (Physica- physical) 3)The Influence of Francis Bacon and Nicholas Copernicus, Copernican Revolution et. al.

The Development of New Science Evolution and Development of the Scientific Method through: Rene Descartes- The System of Methodic Doubt, David Hume- The Nature of Human Knowledge and Essays Concerning Human Understanding The Enlightenment Age of – Galileo- Heliocentric world, Copernicus- Copernican Revolution, Francis Bacon et. al. The Influence of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, et. al. The Golden Age of Science- Science in the Twentieth Century- Quantum Physics et al Science and Technological Revolution- The computer age

The Development of Science Noteworthy is that until the rise of positivism of the 20 th century in our history, there was no hard demarcation between science and non science except, as mentioned, for Aristotle who tried to classify his works as physics and metaphysics. This, for him, meant that there is a demarcation between forms of knowledge that are in the realm of physical, which qualify for science, and those beyond physical realm- the reason he is known till today as the father of science. Positivism rejects metaphysics as illusion, sophistry and sheer waste of time. And hold that KNOWLEDGE lies in the algorithm for the codification of experiences. And science does not and cannot serve as guide to the realms beyond experience. The positivists are group of philosophers who were active in the 1920s in Vienna, also known as Vienna circle. They include: Rudolph Carnap, A. J Ayer among others

The Goal of Science The goal of science is, knowledge, the discovery and revelation of truth about reality. Facts are objects of study in science. Thus, reality in science is fact Science hopes to discover truth about reality through its set of methods. It is believed that science has the viable method that can reveal the truth about reality

The Goal of Science For science, experience is the ultimate source of knowledge. Thus, scientific knowledge are borne out of scientific theories which are derived from collection and observation of facts What this means is that science deals with facts. Thus the object of study/observation in science must be empirical. In science, what can be known must be OBSERVABLE and VERIFIABLE Knowledge, in science, is sought after so as to conquer and manipulate the physical environment/natural world Promotion of human wellbeing

The Goal of Science Observation, Law and Theory is the goal of science: Science starts with observation. Observations are the reported statements which belong to the class of “singular statements” referring to particular events that occurred in a given place and time. Examples of such statements are: – Litmus paper turned red when immersed in the liquid – On the 31 st day of December 1985 the military intervened in Nigerian politics.

The Goal of Science Scientific laws are not stated in the form of observation statements however. Though they are based on observations and observation statement, they are expressed in the form of universal statements.

The Goal of Science In making their claims about the world, universal statements refer to all events of a particular kind at all places and times. The general nature of the assertions of universal statements is characteristic of the laws and theories of science. Example of universal statements are: – Planets moves in eclipses around their sun – Acid turns litmus paper red These universal statements of scientific laws and theories are derived from singular observation statements

Characteristics of Science Facts: Science deals only with observable things of the world. For science, facts are the observable and verifiable things of the world Public: This character of science indicates that the outcome and method of science are not esoteric in nature by being open to a few individuals. Rather, they are accessible to the members of the public so interested for scrutiny and verification Specificity: This means that science deals with particular, observable, or identifiable objects of this terrestrial world, rather than with some abstract general ideas or being in our world or in some ethereal world

Characteristics of Science Objectivity: this means that science is pursued dispassionately, free from eccentric decisions and without prejudice or value judgment Methodology: science has essential method with which whatever called science must follow before it can be qualified as science

The Method of Science Science is a systematic study of things that starts with observation of facts to verification and hypothesis to laws and theory. Science gained its status and stature solely for its method. It is this method that distinguishes science from every other modes of knowing. The method involves: Observation Experimentation Hypothesis Theory Law