1. How would you define science?

2. Science
The systematic use of observations to study the physical universe.

3. Systematic
Methodical in procedure
Marked by thoroughness

4. Observations
An act of recognizing and noting a fact by using one’s senses

5. Study
A careful examination or analysis of a phenomenon

6. Physical universe
For this biology class: The living organisms plus the abiotic factors and the physical laws the organisms are constrained by.

7. Science
A body of facts that man has gathered by observing the physical universe.

8. Fact
Something that is true

9. What is truth? How does one go about determining what is true?
Can scientists actually determine what is true?
Let’s look at some biological examples from history.

10. 1. Publicly accepted behavior?
Doctrine of Humors
Hippocrates

11. 2. Methods that work?
Doctrine of Signatures
Babylonians
Liverwort

12. 3. Repeated observations?
Spontaneous generation
John Needham

13. 4. Logic? Arriving at a conclusion through a series of ordered steps
John Baptist van Helmont

14. 5. Deductive reasoning?
Beginning with known facts and predicting a new fact
Aristotle
#1: All men are mortal
#2: Socrates is a man
#3: Socrates is mortal
Plants
#1: All mums are short-day plants
#2: This plant is a mum
#3: If given extended periods of darkness, this plant will bloom

15. 6. Faith?

16. 7. The word of God? John 14:6 3 sources of God’s revelation to man
“I am…the truth…”
3 sources of God’s revelation to man
Bible – 2 Timothy 3: 16-17
Nature – Romans 1:20
Inner witness (conscience)