[geocentrism] Elements of scientific method
- From: Bernard Brauer <bbrauer777@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: geocentrism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2007 11:00:38 -0700 (PDT)
Elements of scientific method
There are multiple ways of outlining the basic method shared by all of the
fields of scientific inquiry. The following examples are typical
classifications of the most important components of the method on which there
is very wide agreement in the scientific community and among philosophers of
science, each of which are subject only to marginal disagreements about a few
very specific aspects.
The scientific method involves the following basic facets:
Observation. A constant feature of scientific inquiry.
Description. Information must be reliable, i.e., replicable (repeatable) as
well as valid (relevant to the inquiry).
Prediction. Information must be valid for observations past, present, and
future of given phenomena, i.e., purported "one shot" phenomena do not give
rise to the capability to predict, nor to the ability to repeat an experiment.
Control. Actively and fairly sampling the range of possible occurrences,
whenever possible and proper, as opposed to the passive acceptance of
opportunistic data, is the best way to control or counterbalance the risk of
empirical bias.
Falsifiability, or the elimination of plausible alternatives. This is a
gradual process that requires repeated experiments by multiple researchers who
must be able to replicate results in order to corroborate them. This
requirement, one of the most frequently contended, leads to the following: All
hypotheses and theories are in principle subject to disproof. Thus, there is a
point at which there might be a consensus about a particular hypothesis or
theory, yet it must in principle remain tentative. As a body of knowledge grows
and a particular hypothesis or theory repeatedly brings predictable results,
confidence in the hypothesis or theory increases.
Causal explanation. Many scientists and theorists on scientific method argue
that concepts of causality are not obligatory to science, but are in fact
well-defined only under particular, admittedly widespread
conditions.[attribution needed] Under these conditions the following
requirements are generally regarded as important to scientific understanding:
Identification of causes. Identification of the causes of a particular
phenomenon to the best achievable extent.
Covariation of events. The hypothesized causes must correlate with observed
effects.
Time-order relationship. The hypothesized causes must precede the observed
effects in time.
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