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Tutorial 2.1Summary on article “Ten Myths of Science”

The article written by W. Mc Comas in 1996 address and attempts torefute several of the most widespread and enduring misconceptions held bystudents regarding the enterprise of science. Myths are typically defined astraditional views, fables, legends or stories. Misconceptions about science aremost likely due to the lack of philosophy of science content in teacher educationprograms, the failure of such programs to provide and require authentic scienceexperiences for preserves teachers and the generally shallow treatment of thenature science in the precollege textbooks to which teachers might turn for guidance.On myth 1, it states that hypothesis become theories which become laws.Of course there is a relationship between laws and theories, but one simply doesnot become the other –no matter how much empirical evidence is amassed. Laware generalizations, principles or patterns in nature and theories are theexplanations of those generalizations. In my context on misconception based onthis myth, of course i predict that all hypotheses that has been made by refer totheory is part of laws in science. But, the reality is not. By the example given onthe article, Sir Isaac Newton described the relationship of mass and distance togravitational attraction between objects with such precision that we can use thelaw of gravity to plan spaceflight. During that time, there is no such theoryaccepted to relate on the law. When i want to do experiment on the relation whencombining the chemicals, i will do hypothesis that much like initial prediction.Then, when the result released, i will generalize the hypothesis made earlier.Sometimes the hypothesis either accepted or not. From that situation, we cansay that hypothesis may become theory, law or even not any.The second myth is about a hypothesis is an educated guess. Sometimesyes but also sometimes not. Same like the example on earlier explanation, thehypothesis that we made and the result that we get may differ each other. Wecannot simply say that hypothesis is educated guess because it is actually

prediction. Sometimes we make reference from the laws and theories, and thenwe can say that it is educated guess. But if it is new discovery, then how canreffer to any law or theory? On lower education in Malaysia, we just makeexperiment that has been discovered by scientist many years backward. So, wecan easily refer to the theory and law. So, we are not really exposed to the newdiscovery, and then on my perception, the hypothesis is educated guess.Myth 3, A general and universal scientific method

this myth has been partof the tradition of school science ever since its proposal by statistician KarlPearson (1937) listed for the scientific method vary from text to text but usuallyinclude, a) define the problem, b) gather background information, c) form ahypothesis, d) make observations, e) test the hypothesis and f) drawconclusions. Medawar (1990) reacted to the common style exhibited by researchpapers by calling the scientific paper a fraud since the final journal report rarelyoutlines the actual way in which the problem was investigated. Philosophers of science have shown that no research method is applied universally (Carey, 1994;Gibbs & Lawson, 1992; Chalmers, 1990; Gjertsen, 1989). The notion of a singlescientific method is so pervasive it seems certain that many students must bedisappointed when they discover that scientists do not have a framed copy of thesteps of the scientific method posted high above each laboratory workbench.Close inspection will reveal that scientists approach and solve problems withimagination, creativity, prior knowledge and perseverance.Myth 4: Evidence accumulated carefully will result in sure knowledge. Thisis a technique by which individual pieces of evidence are collected and examineduntil a law is discovered or a theory is invented. Useful as this technique is, evena preponderance of evidence does not guarantee the production of validknowledge because of what is called the problem of induction. Induction was firstformalized by Frances Bacon in the 17th century. Bacon advised that facts beassimilated without bias to reach a conclusion. The method of induction hesuggested is the principal way in which humans traditionally have producedgeneralizations that permit predictions. It is both impossible to make allobservations pertaining to a given situation and illogical to secure alt relevant

facts for all time, past, present and future. The proposal of a new law beginsthrough induction as facts are heaped upon other relevant facts. Deduction isuseful in checking the validity of a law. In an idealize view of induction, theaccumulated evidence will basically result in the production of a new law or theory in a procedural or mechanical fashion.Myth 5, Science and its methods provide absolute proof. The generalsuccess of the scientific attempt suggests that its products must be valid.Hallmark of scientific knowledge is that it is subject to revision when newinformation is accessible. Apprehension is one of the points that differentiatescience from other forms of knowledge. Accumulated evidence can providesupport, validation and substantiation for a law or theory, but will never provethose laws and theories to be true. The problem of induction argues against proof in science, but there is another element of this myth worth exploring. The onlytruly conclusive knowledge produced by science results when a notion isfalsified.On myth sixth Science is procedural more than creative. Actually,induction involved the collection and interpretation of individual facts providingthe raw materials for law and theories. Only the creative scientist permits thediscovery of laws and invention the theory. However, science teaching orientationand method are against the creative element in Science. Tobia’s thesis argue thatmany wise students reject science as a career because they losing theopportunity to see it as a creative pursuit.Myth seventh states that Science and its methods can answer all thequestions. Popper believed that only potentially falsifiable ideas are scientificidea. There is no scientific method by which such a belief could be shown to beincorrect. Some questions must not be asked to scientists. Moral, ethical,aesthetic, social and, metaphysical questions cannot be address by Science.Myth eighth believed that Scientists are particularly objective. Popper’sexplain that Science can advance through a string of conjectures and refutations.Scientists like other observer, belief myriad of preconceptions and biases abouthow world operates. Certain facts based on the scientist prior knowledge either