11/28/2019

Science, Technology, and Society

Nature of Science
• Are We Really THINKING?

• Rapid-fire exchange of information and its demerits

• Accepting information without evaluating it means you

are letting someone think for you

CRITICAL THINKING
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Deliberate process of judging the quality of information Curiosity
before accepting it
Observable universe
Be AWARE, be CONSCIOUS
Problem
Accept or not?
Hypothesis
• What message am I being asked to accept? • TESTABLE explanation for a natural phenomenon
• Is the message based on facts or opinion?
• Is there a different way to interpret the facts? Prediction
• What biases might the presenter have? • Statement of some condition that should occur if
• How do my own biases affect what I’m learning? the hypothesis is correct
What role does critical thinking play in SCIENCE?

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Experiment or Models
• Dependent vs Independent variables
Inductive
Experimental group vs. Control group
• Arriving at a conclusion based on one’s observation
Data
Deductive reasoning
• Validate the prediction? Support the hypothesis?
• Logical process of using a general premise to
draw a conclusion about a specific case
Publications and Peer reviews
• Reproducible?

Analyzing Experimental Results How does BIAS affect one’s results?

Why is sampling important? The subjective nature of mankind

• Researchers
Sampling Error
• Difference between results obtained from a subset, Qualitative vs. Quantitative Experiments
and results from the whole • Repeatability

Large sample size, replicates Critical thinking and the scientific community

Probability Objective Nature of Science

• Measure (%) of the CHANCE that a particular • Scope and Limitation
outcome will occur • Moral, aesthetic, and philosophical standards?
• Supernatural?
Statistically SIGNIFICANT
• Result that is very unlikely to have occurred by Scientific Paradigm and Scientific Revolution
chance alone

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NATURE OF SCIENCE New results do not invalidate pre-existing results

Hypothesis
• Survives several years of serious scrutiny through
rigorous testing?
• Consistent with existing evidence?
• Used to make successful predictions about a wide
range of other phenomena?
• But, interpretation of what the results mean can
change
New data inconsistent with a theory may trigger its
revision
• Ex. Atomic theory, Theory of evolution by natural
selection, Big bang, Cell theory

Scientific THEORY “It’s just a theory”

• Best objective description of the natural world
• Presumptions
• Scientifically PROVEN (X)
• Scientifically ACCEPTED (√)
New data is sometimes inevitable
Scientific Theory vs. Law of Nature
• Phenomenon that always occurs under certain
circumstances
• Law of Thermodynamics

What Science is NOT?

PSEUDOSCIENCE
• Claims, arguments, or methods that are presented
as scientific but do not follow scientific principles
• Many methods begin with conclusion SCIENCE AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
BY: JERROLD GARCIA
Go back to the process of science
• Testing the hypothesis is an attempt to falsify it

A statement that cannot be tested and potentially proven

wrong by EVIDENCE is not part of science

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Intellectual history
Rise of Greek Philosophy
Rise of Modern Science
Western Civilization
Colonization and Globalization
Philippines and science?
SCIENCE as a BODY OF KNOWLEDGE
Purpose of rational inquiry?
Where does knowledge reside?
What is SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE?
Mental MODELS and the physical world
DEGREE of Understanding
DYNAMIC
11/28/2019
SCIENCE
Rational inquiry into nature
LOGICAL structure
OBJECT of inquiry and INQUIRER
Observation and Experimentation
Hierarchy
• Low est level: primitive statements of
How to resolve two or more competing theories? direct observation
• Middle level: express some common
Requirements: features of or relationship betw een
• Collection of statements must be CONSISTENT entities
• Highest level: Overarching fundamental
• Presence of Logical INTERRELATIONSHIP between principles
statements; Coherent whole
• Must be able to deduce a PREDICTION and validated through
EXPERIMENTATION or OBSERVATION
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The PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS

Laws of nature WELTANSCHAUUNG or Scientific
• general statements about the behavior of Worldview
NATURE

Assumptions Scientific observations, laws, theories, Scientific Paradigm

• There is regularity in NATURE that is expressed
principles
by these laws
Claims to be the interpretation of
• Human MIND is capable of knowing these laws
Scientists vs. non-scientists the physical world
• Laws of nature remain constant everywhere and
anytime
Cooperation and Unity

Prevent chaos

Andreas Vesalius Normal science

Contributed a lot to the study of human
anatomy Nobody is PERFECT! METHOD of SCIENCE Scientific Method
Anomalies Theorists vs Experimentalists Problem-observation-hypothesis-
confirmation-theory?
Is the current paradigm still valid? Scientific Method
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernican Revolution STYLIZED RITUAL
Scientific Revolution? SERENDIPITY, IMAGINATION, DREAMS, LUCK COMMONLY FOUND IN
MANY SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS
Galileo Galilei Can be conservative at times
challenged the church by promoting a ILLUSION
heliocentric universe where the sun and
moon had blemished surfaces

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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Paul Feyerabend Test of acceptability

To arrive at a statement that describes the physical world “Science does not really have a • Prediction can be verified by experiment
• Simple observation and generalization method” • Controlled conditions
• Repeatability or reproducibility
• Replicates
You must have already an idea of what he is looking for This only hold back scientific progress PEER REVIEW
• What is worth investigating?
• Realistic, feasible, significant Publications
Review ed by experts
Tools, devices, methods, etc. Look for errors
Marxists Scientific journalism vs Normal journalism
Challenges HONESTY is the BEST policy
• How to get to your destination? Social practice has the final say
• Limited by the technology available • Practical or experimental
• What methods and tools to use? verification
• Troubleshooting
• Sources of error

VALUE of SCIENCE Deeper value

INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTIONS
SCIENCE and its PREDICTIVE power Honesty
Humility before facts
• Anticipate events and effects
Tolerance
Habit of truth
What is the value of science? Boldness and courage
And many more…
Through TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE brought us comfort,
convenience, safety, etc. MORAL VALUES

Conflicts are resolved through reason SCOPE OF SCIENCE

The search for TRUTH Positive or Negative?

What do you think will happen if we ignore the truth brought Role of science in our lives?
upon by science?

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COPERNICAN REVOLUTION

Questions
DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS Early times • What created days and
nights?
• Product of necessity and desires of each time period • ASTRONOMICAL questions • What heavenly bodies
• Respond to the demand or problem • Impact of TELESCOPES on society are?
• Alleviate the lives of the people • More QUESTIONS!

AT TIMES… GREEK PHILOSOPHERS & INTELLECTUALS

• Advancements in S&T changed people’s • Planets moved around in a circular motion
perceptions and beliefs • Planetary movements created the days and
nights
INTELLECTUAL REVOLUTION!

A society transformed by S&T

NICOLAUS COPERNICUS [16TH CENTURY]

CLADIUS PTOLEMY • Polish mathematician and astronomer
• Philosopher and Astronomer • HELIOCENTRISM
• GEOCENTRISM: Earth was at the • Sun as the center of the Solar System
center • REJECTED!
• Planets, as well as the sun and the • But was later on accepted
moon, moved in a circular motion
around the Earth
• The sun and moon’s revolution OPPS! HERESY!
resulted to the days and nights

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DARWINIAN REVOLUTION
COPERNICAL MODEL
• Simplified the orbit of planets • One of the most controversial intellectual
• More & more works supported revolutions of its time
the model • CHARLES DARWIN [1859]
BIRTH OF MODERN ASTRONOMY! • On the Origin of Species
• Theory of EVOLUTION
• Populations pass through a process of
natural selection
• Survival of the Fittest

ADAPTATION VS. EVOLUTION FREUDIAN REVOLUTION

Against to the beliefs of the church [CREATIONISM] PSYCHLOGY was 1st under PHILOSOPHY
• More of an art rather than science
But was later accepted Personality is a
SIGMUND FREUD [19th century] product of 3
• Changed people’s perception of psychology conflicting
• PSYCHOANALYSIS elements (id,
• Study that explains human behavior ego, superego)
• There are many conscious and
unconscious factors that can influence
behavior and emotions

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REJECTED its legitimacy as a science COPERNICUS, DARWIN, and FREUD

• More philosophical and supernatural • Tip of the iceberg
• NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS!
• No EMPERICAL or EXPERIMENTAL DATA to Many scientific ideas transformed and
support it molded societies and beliefs

FREUD still continued to refine his theory

• How can psychoanalysis can be used a clinical
method in treating some mental disorders QUESTION
• What would happen to our society if
Ahhhhhhhh… makes sense science and technology did not exist?

WELCOME TO SCIENCE!