COSEE California Communicating Ocean Sciences Session 2: The Nature of Science

COSEE California Science not as a noun…but a a process, a set of activities, a way of proceeding and thinking. --Tinker & Thornton, 1992

COSEE California Session 2 objectives Appreciate that: Scientists use a wide range of inquiry methods Science is based on observations and hypotheses within a testable framework of ideas Science is collaborative Scientific “truth” evolves over time Non-scientific ideas are sometimes presented as scientific to the general public

COSEE California Quick write What’s the most important thing you personally took away from the reading? Why do you think we chose to assign this reading, both in the overall course and specifically now for this session on the nature of science?

COSEE California What is science?

COSEE California Thought Swap What is science?

COSEE California Thought Swap What is not science?

COSEE California Thought Swap When is something not a science but appears scientific?

COSEE California Thought Swap What are some of the pitfalls people sometimes fall into when attempting to do science?

COSEE California Categorizing Statements Scientific Not Scientific Not scientific, but seems scientific

COSEE California So, what is science? Science is a set of methods designed to describe and interpret observed or inferred phenomena, past or present, and aimed at building a testable body of knowledge open to rejection or confirmation. --Michael Shermer Director of Skeptics Society

COSEE California So, what is science? Science is a limitless voyage of joyous exploration --Walt Whitman

COSEE California So, what is science? Science is a limited way of knowing, looking at just the natural world and natural causes. There are a lot of ways human beings understand the universe --through literature, theology, aesthetics, art or music. -- Dr. Eugenie Scott Executive Director National Center for Science Education

COSEE California Science is… Evidence and testability Consistency Cause and Effect relationship Objectivity Peer review

COSEE California Science is not… A belief system The absolute truth One scientist’s opinion

COSEE California Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science* Fact: In science, an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed and for all practical purposes is accepted as "true." Truth in science, however, is never final, and what is accepted as a fact today may be modified or even discarded tomorrow. *Adapted from Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science by the National Academy of Sciences (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1998).

COSEE California Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science* Hypothesis: A tentative statement about the natural world leading to deductions that can be tested. If the deductions are verified, the hypothesis is provisionally corroborated. If the deductions are incorrect, the original hypothesis is proved false and must be abandoned or modified. Hypotheses can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations.

COSEE California Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science* Law: A descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves under stated circumstances.

COSEE California Terms Used in Describing the Nature of Science* Theory: In science, a well- substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.

COSEE California The contention that evolution should be taught as a "theory, not as a fact" confuses the common use of these words with the scientific use. In science, theories do not turn into facts through the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the end points of science. They are understandings that develop from extensive observation, experimentation, and creative reflection. They incorporate a large body of scientific facts, laws, tested hypotheses, and logical inferences. In this sense, evolution is one of the strongest and most useful scientific theories we have.

COSEE California Ice Cubes Open- ended Investigation

COSEE California Ice Cubes Directed Investigation

COSEE California Ice Cubes Scientific Discussion

COSEE California Why people believe weird things Problems in scientific thinking Problems in pseudoscientific thinking Psychological problems in thinking Flying Spaghetti Monster

COSEE California Homework Response questions