When we say that the sea is blue or that a person is tall, our description is qualitative. We become aware of the qualitative features of the physical world from the earliest stages of our development. Many of these features impress us greatly and pleasantly. At one time or another we have all been struck…
The goal of experiments in science is not to have personal experiences, but to gather information which may add to our understanding of the phenomena being studied. The results of an experiment are known as experimental data. The data consist of a mass of facts and figures. These must be carefully arranged and classified if…
Countless experiments have been performed in a variety of contexts and for a variety of reasons in the laboratories of the world. In general, in terms of goals, experiments may be put into three broad categories. The first may be called the mere measurement type. An experiment may be performed solely for the purpose of…
We noted that observation is a step beyond merely seeing or responding to our senses. It is a conscious and sustained mode of recording our sense impressions of the external world. In a scientific observation one tries to relate what is observed to its several parts or to other observed phenomena: In other words, one…
In our efforts to understand natural phenomena, science divides the world of experience into specific domains which are then studied little by little; or else, we will be confronted with a staggering immensity far beyond any individual’s grasp. Once a field of study is chosen, every phenomenon related to it is carefully observed. If we…
In ancient science, which drew analogies between the behavior of living entities and that of nature, there was the general belief that things happen with a purpose. We water the flower bed so that flowers may bloom. Likewise, it was argued, it rains so that there would be harvest. In Aristotelian science, an explanation was…
What does one mean by the term explanation? This is a very complex question in the philosophy of science. It has been extensively discussed and debated by philosophies. But we shall consider it from a relatively simple point of view. To clarify the idea of explanation, let us consider the following situations: First take the…
“The aim of science,” wrote Karl Pearson, “is nothing short of the complete interpretation of the universe.” Thus the goal of science is to understand and explain every aspect of the universe. This is to be accomplished by adopting the scientific methodology. By the universe one means directly or indirectly perceived physical reality. The working…
The scientific revolution of the sixteenth century was significant not so much in the discarding of geocentricity though this was one of its earliest steps; not so much in the discovery of Kepler’s laws though this opened our visions to hitherto hidden features of planetary motions, not so much in the formulation of the laws…
Another important aspect of the ancient science outlook is related to the manner in which unorthodox points of view were received and dealt with. It too has its powerful vestiges in our own times. Toleration of unorthodox ideas was rarely a salient feature of many ancient societies. When the Greek sophist Protagoras expressed his doubts…