From their grade school classrooms forward, students of science are
encouraged to memorize and adhere to the “scientific method”—a
model of inquiry consisting of five to seven neatly laid-out steps,
often in the form of a flowchart. But walk into the office of a
theoretical physicist or the laboratory of a biochemist and ask
“Which step are you on?” and you will likely receive a blank
stare. This is not how science works. But science does work, and here
award-winning teacher and scholar Steven Gimbel provides students the
tools to answer for themselves this question: What actually is the
scientific method? Exploring the Scientific
Method pairs classic and contemporary readings in the philosophy of
science with milestones in scientific discovery to illustrate the
foundational issues underlying scientific methodology. Students are
asked to select one of nine possible fields—astronomy, physics,
chemistry, genetics, evolutionary biology, psychology, sociology,
economics, or geology—and through carefully crafted case studies
trace its historical progression, all while evaluating whether
scientific practice in each case reflects the methodological claims of
the philosophers. This approach allows students to see the philosophy
of science in action and to determine for themselves what scientists
do and how they ought to do it. Exploring the
Scientific Method will be a welcome resource to introductory science
courses and all courses in the history and philosophy of science.
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Cases and Questions
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780226294841
Publisert
2018
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Chicago Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter