Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine, Definicje: nauka, naukowy obraz świata (2002)
Cytaty z: Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine, Prentice Hall Biology, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ 2002.
Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine, Prentice Hall Biology (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002). ISBN 0-13-050730-X. (Cover: Dragonfly)
p. 3:
"1-1. What Is Science?
What Science Is and
Is Not.
What does it mean to say that an approach to a problem is scientific? The
goal of science is to investigate and understand nature, to explain events
in nature, and to use those explanations to make useful predictions. Science
has several features that make it different from other human
endeavors. First, science deals only with the natural world.
Second, scientists collect and organize information in a careful, orderly
way, looking for patterns and connections between events. Third,
scientists propose explanations that can be tested by examining
evidence. In other words, science is an organized way of using
evidence to learn about the natural world. The word science also
refers to the body of knowledge that scientists have built up after years of
using this process."
p. 4:
"Science starts with observation... An observation alone has little
meaning in science, because the goal is to understand what was observed.
Scientists usually follow observations with inferences. An inference
is a
logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience."
p. 6:
"A Scientific View of the World.
People
often think about everyday events in a scientific way. Suppose a car won't
start. Perhaps it's out of gas. A glance at the fuel gauge tests
that idea. Perhaps the battery is dead. An auto mechanic
can use an instrument to test that idea. A logical person would
continue to look for a mechanical explanation, testing one possible
explanation after another until the cause of the problem was
identified.
All
scientists... bring the same kind of problem-solving attitude to their
work. They consider the whole universe a system in which basic rules
apply to all events, small or large. Scientists assume that those
rules can be discovered through scientific inquiry. They collect data
as a means of achieving their goal -- a better understanding of nature. For
scientists, science is an ongoing process, not the discovery of an
unchanging, absolute truth. Scientific findings are always subject to
revision as new evidence is developed.
In
keeping with this approach to pursuing knowledge, certain qualities are
desirable in a scientist: curiosity, honesty, open-mindedness, skepticism,
and the recognition that science has limits. An open-minded person is
ready to give up familiar ideas if the evidence demands it. A
skeptical person continues to ask questions and looks for alternative
explanations. Scientists are persuaded by logical arguments that are
supported by evidence. Despite recognizing the power of science,
scientists know that science has definite limits. Science cannot help
you decide whether a painting is beautiful or cheating on a test is
wrong."
p. 1088, Glossary:
"Science: organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world; also, the body of knowledge that scientists have built up after years of using this process."