Scientific Method in Brief
Cambridge University Press, 9/6/2012
EAN 9781107666726, ISBN10: 1107666724
Paperback, 306 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm
Language: English
The fundamental principles of the scientific method are essential for enhancing perspective, increasing productivity, and stimulating innovation. These principles include deductive and inductive logic, probability, parsimony and hypothesis testing, as well as science's presuppositions, limitations, ethics and bold claims of rationality and truth. The examples and case studies drawn upon in this book span the physical, biological and social sciences; include applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine; and also explore science's interrelationships with disciplines in the humanities such as philosophy and law. Informed by position papers on science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Sciences and National Science Foundation, this book aligns with a distinctively mainstream vision of science. It is an ideal resource for anyone undertaking a systematic study of scientific method for the first time, from undergraduates to professionals in both the sciences and the humanities.
Foreword James R. Miller
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Four bold claims
3. A brief history of truth
4. Science's contested rationality
5. Science's presuppositions
6. Science's powers and limits
7. Deductive logic
8. Probability
9. Inductive logic and statistics
10. Parsimony and efficiency
11. Case studies
12. Ethics and responsibilities
13. Science education
14. Conclusions
References
Index.