If You Want to Find Out the truth, Then Ask a Scientist! Tru

In short, “The aim of science can be understood as the production of knowledge of the world” (Chalmers, A 1990, p.24). The thing that distinguishes science from the other derivatives of knowledge stated previously, is the method used to acquire this knowledge. The first universally accepted definition of the “scientific method” was derived by Francis Bacon in the early seventeenth century. This theory was known as the theory of inductivism. Bacon derived his method of induction as he believed it would increase the productivity of science. The so-called Baconian picture states that scientific studies begin in a particular field with an open mind towards the accumulation of knowledge. This is followed by a hypothesis; aimed at ex

Bertrand Russell also asks “is there any reason for believing in what is called “the uniformity of nature”?” (Russell, B. 1998,p.98). This belief is that every thing that has happened or will happen can be predicted by some general law. It is this view that underlies the theory of induction. He goes on to say “The business of science is to find uniformities, such as the laws of motion and the law of gravitation, which, so far, as our experience extends, there are no exceptions” (Russell, B. 1998,p.99). He implies that since there have been no exceptions so far, after years of extensive testing, shouldn’t we have the same reason to look upon them as true as we do the statement about the sun rising in the morning.

Perception: The everyday world is real

So far, we have challenged the certainty of scientific knowledge but let’s challenge certain knowledge as a whole. We have seen that scientific knowledge is based on observations but isn’t all knowledge? Let me give you an example; at this very moment, I know that our country is at war with Iraq. I observe battles on the television with my very own eyes and ears. But how can I really know for certain that this is in fact the case. It could all be a conspiracy or a hoax. I seriously doubt this is the case, but can I really be sure?

Proven; that word again implying fact. But can a hypothesis ever be “proven”? According to David Hume, the answer to this question is no. His argument is that no general statement can ever derived from a finite number of individual observations. This became known as the problem of induction.

In 1934 Karl Popper wrote “The Logic of Scientific Discovery”, completely dismissing Bacon’s “Method of Induction” and introducing his own method. He rejects the idea that science advances when making generalisations from observations or experiments, since generalisations can only be made logically. “Logic is the study of reasoning, of arguments bridging premises to a conclusion. The aim is to state in as general terms as possible, the conditions under which an argument is valid” (Gillott, J & Kumar, M. 1995, p16). If a generalisation deduced from the premises i.e. if A is true and B is true then C must be true, it is known as deductive logic. “Deductive knowledge does not get very far is reasoning about matters of fact. It merely draws out what is implicit in the premises. No risk is involved, and no extension of knowledge is made” (Gillott, J & Kumar, M. p.17). The other form of

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