Lecture 1A

NATSCI2
 Types of knowledge and thinking
• Science
• Non scientific
– Protoscience
– Pseudoscience
– Non science
 What is Science?

• Science – the systematic study of the natural

world
• Employs the scientific method
• Science – a frequently misunderstood process
by which new knowledge is obtained
• The word “Science” is derived from the Latin
verb meaning “to know.”
How do you do things scientifically?
 How is the scientific method
different from other methods?
Is there a recipe for doing science?
 What is the difference between inductive and deductive
reasoning?

• Deduction – general premises are extrapolated to

specific examples

– Sherlock uses what he as learned from previous cases to

create a possible scenario based upon the specific clues
left at the scene of the crime.

– Sally used what has previously been studied about the

behavior of mice to interpret the behavior of her pet rat.
 What is the difference between inductive and deductive
reasoning?

• Induction – reasoning from a set of specific

observations to form a general conclusion

– Sherlock has observed the clues from several linked crimes

to create a profile of the criminal
• From this profile, he will be able to predict the criminal's future
intentions
• Are these predictions using inductive or deductive thought?

– In science, inductive thought is often called "model

building."
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