The Times and Troubles of the Scientific Method
Summary
TLDRThis SciShow episode delves into the scientific method, a systematic approach to understanding the universe. It traces the method's evolution from Aristotle's empiricism to the modern process of hypothesis testing and experimentation. The video highlights that while the scientific method has been instrumental, it's not infallible, and sometimes breakthroughs come from creativity and luck. It also discusses how advancements like computers are changing scientific practices, suggesting a future where machines might conduct science autonomously.
Takeaways
- 🔬 Science is a process of learning about the universe and organizing information to build upon it.
- 📚 The scientific method is a systematic approach to investigating phenomena, with rules similar to those in sports or systems like the postal service.
- 🕰 It took thousands of years for humanity to develop the scientific method as we know it today.
- 🌟 Not all scientific knowledge comes from the scientific method; some discoveries are due to inspiration or luck.
- 🚀 Some experts believe that new methods are needed to further our understanding of the universe beyond the current scientific method.
- 🔍 The scientific method involves formulating a hypothesis, testing it with experiments, and using data to draw conclusions.
- 🐶 An example given in the script is investigating why a dog drags its butt across the floor, following the steps of the scientific method.
- 📖 Aristotle is often credited with the early foundations of the scientific method, emphasizing the importance of observation and experimentation.
- 🌐 The scientific method was significantly developed during the Scientific Revolution, with key figures like Galileo, Boyle, and Newton refining its principles.
- 💡 Some major scientific discoveries, like those by Marie Curie, Einstein, and Turing, were made through creativity and serendipity rather than strictly following the scientific method.
- 💻 The 21st century has seen computers and AI playing a role in the scientific method, capable of formulating hypotheses and conducting experiments autonomously.
Q & A
What is the scientific method?
-The scientific method is a systematic approach to understanding the universe by formulating hypotheses, conducting experiments, and analyzing data to build and refine knowledge.
How has the scientific method evolved over time?
-The scientific method has evolved from early philosophical inquiries to a more structured process with defined steps, including observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, and analysis. It has been shaped by various thinkers and scientific revolutions.
Who is often credited with initiating the scientific method?
-Aristotle is sometimes credited with initiating the scientific method due to his emphasis on empirical observation and experimentation, although his conclusions were often incorrect.
What is empiricism and how does it relate to the scientific method?
-Empiricism is the theory that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It is fundamental to the scientific method, which relies on observation and experimentation as the basis for understanding phenomena.
How did the scientific method develop during the Scientific Revolution?
-During the Scientific Revolution, the scientific method was refined to include rigorous testing of hypotheses through experimentation. Key figures like Galileo, Boyle, and Newton contributed to its development and acceptance.
Who is considered the father of the scientific method and why?
-Ibn al-Haytham, a 10th-century Arab scientist, is often considered the father of the scientific method due to his pioneering work in optics and his systematic approach to scientific inquiry.
What is a paradigm shift in the context of science?
-A paradigm shift refers to a major change in the underlying assumptions or theories within a scientific discipline, often triggered by unresolved anomalies that cannot be explained by the current scientific method.
How have computers and technology impacted the scientific method?
-Computers and technology have automated aspects of the scientific method, allowing for faster data collection, analysis, and hypothesis testing. This has expanded the scope and speed of scientific research.
What is the role of creativity and serendipity in scientific discoveries?
-Creativity and serendipity play significant roles in scientific discoveries, often leading to breakthroughs that cannot be attributed solely to the structured application of the scientific method.
How has the scientific method been challenged or questioned in modern science?
-Modern science has questioned the scientific method's applicability to complex problems, suggesting that it may be limited in addressing certain aspects of the universe that require innovative approaches beyond traditional hypothesis testing.
Outlines
🔬 The Scientific Method: Foundation of Modern Science
This paragraph introduces the scientific method as a systematic approach to understanding the universe. It emphasizes that while the method is not perfect, it has been instrumental in the discovery and verification of much of our current knowledge. The paragraph discusses the evolution of the scientific method over thousands of years, highlighting that not all scientific knowledge has come from this method, and that some insights have been the result of inspiration or luck. It also mentions that some experts believe we may need new methods to uncover deeper truths about the universe. The scientific method is described as a process of formulating plausible explanations for observed phenomena and rigorously testing them against facts and questions. The paragraph concludes with an example of how one might use the scientific method to investigate a natural occurrence, such as a dog's behavior.
📚 The Evolution of the Scientific Method and its Pioneers
This paragraph delves into the historical development of the scientific method, acknowledging that it was not always practiced as it is today. It credits Aristotle with early contributions to the method through his emphasis on empirical evidence. The paragraph also discusses the Golden Age of Arabic science, where scholars like Ibn al-Haytham made significant strides in empirical research, laying the groundwork for modern scientific inquiry. The Scientific Revolution is highlighted as a pivotal period where the scientific method was refined and key figures like Galileo, Robert Boyle, and Francis Bacon made substantial contributions. The paragraph also touches on the concept of paradigm shifts in science, as introduced by Thomas Kuhn, which occur when anomalies challenge existing frameworks and lead to new ways of understanding.
💡 The Future of Science: Creativity, Serendipity, and Technology
The final paragraph explores the impact of creativity and serendipity in scientific discovery, citing examples of groundbreaking work by scientists like Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and others who made discoveries outside the strict confines of the scientific method. It discusses the limitations of the method in addressing complex problems and the role of computers in aiding scientific research. The paragraph highlights how advancements in technology, such as robots and large-scale data analysis, are changing the landscape of science. It suggests that the future of science may involve a greater integration of technology, potentially leading to a redefinition of what it means to 'do science' and the skills required of scientists.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Scientific Method
💡Empiricism
💡Hypothesis
💡Experimentation
💡Data Collection
💡Conclusion
💡Scientific Revolution
💡Paradigm Shift
💡Serendipity
💡Computational Science
Highlights
Science is a process of learning about the universe and organizing information.
The scientific method is the accepted technique for scientific investigations.
The scientific method took thousands of years to develop and refine.
Not all scientific knowledge comes from the scientific method; some is due to inspiration or luck.
Some experts argue that new methods are needed for deeper understanding of the universe.
The scientific method involves testing plausible explanations with facts and questions.
Science aims to disprove its own theories about how the world works.
Aristotle is credited with early ideas that led to the scientific method.
Empiricism, the idea that theories must be proven through experimentation, was key to the scientific method's development.
The Golden Age of Arabic science preserved and expanded upon ancient Greek knowledge.
Ibn al-Haytham's work on light and optics contributed significantly to the scientific method.
The Scientific Revolution refined the scientific method, leading to significant discoveries.
Isaac Newton's work laid out the official rules for scientific reasoning.
Many discoveries were made without the scientific method, through creativity and serendipity.
Thomas Kuhn suggested that the scientific method has limitations and that paradigm shifts are necessary for progress.
Computers and AI are becoming integral to the scientific method, handling large data sets and automating processes.
The future of science may involve a collaboration between human creativity and computer processing power.
The definition of science may change as computers take on more scientific method tasks.
Transcripts
science isn't like science is more of a
process a process of learning about the
universe and organizing that information
so that we can build on it and just like
most processes there's an accepted way
of doing scientific investigations on
everything from the movement of atoms to
the mating habits of tree frogs this
technique is called the scientific
method and it's got its rules just like
golf in the US postal system as much as
we take the scientific method for
granted the fact is that it took
thousands of years for us to figure out
how to actually practice the discipline
of science and it served us pretty well
a lot of what we know about the world
has been discovered and tested and
verified through the use of the
scientific method or at least versions
of the one that we use today but of
course not all scientific knowledge has
come to us through this method many
revelations came about because of
flashes of inspiration or just plain
luck rather than by testing theories and
labs what's more some experts say that
the scientific method can only take us
so far that we as a species have reached
a level of understanding that requires
new methods to help us get to the finer
truths of how the universe works so I
have news for you the scientific method
is not perfect but it's the best thing
we have for now
[Music]
the scientific method is all about
coming up with a plausible explanation
for an observed phenomenon and then
shooting that possible explanation with
the machine gun full of facts and
questions until you either a destroy
that seemingly plausible explanation or
B decide that it's indestructible so
science is working tirelessly night and
day to disprove its own theories about
how the world works or at least that's
what science thinks it's doing what do
you want to find out something about the
natural world for example why your dog
is always dragging his butt across the
floor a scientist will advise you to go
through a series of steps to find the
answer
step 1 ask a question why is my dog
always dragging his butt across the
carpet step 2
do some research checking out the pet
health websites asking other people why
they think their dogs wiped their anuses
on the carpet step 3 propose a possible
but testable explanation
aka a hypothesis in this case maybe he
has worms
step 4 test this hypothesis with
experiments until you've disproven it's
like put his poop butt or a microscope
and see if there's worms under there
give him some deworming medicine and see
if he stops soiling all the floors in
your house that's called collecting data
if he doesn't stop after you've dewormed
him you can probably consider that
hypothesis disproven so then you come up
with another hypothesis and collect some
more data on that each time you prove an
idea wrong you come up with another
hypothesis and test until that five you
dog quits wiping its butt all over the
carpet and then you can analyze the data
you collected to draw a conclusion like
he was just trying to express a blocked
anal gland or he's just a bit of a perv
or whatever your data suggests and there
you go science accomplished you can go
ahead and make your conclusions known to
the scientific community now because you
just did the scientific method all this
sounds pretty reasonable because that's
what we're used to but that doesn't mean
that science was always done this way
some people credit Aristotle with
inventing the scientific method because
he was the first to say hey truths about
natural phenomena can't be discovered
just by thinking really hard on your
couch you have to go experiments like go
out there and make some observations
Aristotle basically came up with the
prototype for the scientific method but
by present-day standards he was sort of
the terrible scientist we know that
because almost all of the stuff he wrote
about was wrong like that time
said that females were anatomically just
deformed men yeah but his idea that
theories could only be proven through
experimentation and observation called
empiricism eventually took hold the
problem was that empiricism was really
most useful when lots of people were
gathering data and sharing that
information has meant that science could
only grow as fast as information could
spread and back in the days before the
Google machine or the Pony Express or
whatever information spread like snails
on nyquil slowly is what I'm trying to
say like we think of the Middle Ages as
being a time when everybody just sat
around getting the plague and watching
the Roman Empire collapsed but in fact
the dark ages of European science were
actually the Golden Age of Arabic
science Muslim scholars preserved the
knowledge that had made its way from
ancient Greece and built upon it while
the Europeans were mostly on
intellectual hiatus in fact if you want
to call somebody the father of the
scientific method the best candidate
would probably be 10th century Arab
scientist even L - I banal - did amazing
work on light and optics a topic on
which he wrote seven books he used math
to prove that we see like that enters
our eyes and not because light comes out
of our eyes which was the prevailing
theory of the day he also developed a
method for his enquiries that was based
on first gathering data through
observation and measurement followed by
formulating and testing hypotheses to
explain what he observed basically he
invented a stripped-down version of what
we roll with today by the time Europeans
were back in the game intellectually a
few key figures in Europe took the
mantle of empiricism and fueled the
Scientific Revolution a period between
the 16th and 18th centuries when finally
the scientific method had been refined
to a point where actual stuff could get
figured out this was Sciences first real
heyday Galileo studied astronomy and
physics Robert Boyle argued that it
didn't matter how you felt about a
theory or how beautiful it sounded but
only whether it could be backed up by
experimentation Francis Bacon argued
that science was only science if it was
trying to prove itself wrong in
Portuguese physician and philosopher
Francisco Sanchez coined the term
scientific method in 1581 to describe
the process of gathering and judging
data in an attempt to understand the
world but arguably this centuries-long
revolution peaked with Isaac Newton his
laws of motion and gravitation totally
changed
the game obviously but in his famous
book Principia he also laid out what
basically became the official rules for
scientific reason rolls like all things
that create the same effects can be
assumed to have the same basic causes
and if you observe the same qualities in
different bodies through experimentation
you could assume that all bodies
everywhere have those same qualities and
last but not least theories based on
observation should be considered
accurate until they are refuted by
other observations so the Scientific
Revolution made the scientific method
pretty much what we know today and as a
result scientists gradually just started
being scientists not Knights who
happened to write books or monks who did
genetics on the side they also began
following specialized disciplines like
chemistry or biology but here's the
weird part even though great science was
being done using the scientific method a
lot of incredible discoveries were made
without it take Marie Curie's insights
into radioactivity Albert Einstein's
theories of special and general
relativity Nikola Tesla's AC induction
motor Alan Turing in the computer and
Richard Feynman's famous Fineman
diagrams all these scientists made
discoveries either as a result of
putting together pieces that had been
discovered by others or just because
they saw the world a little differently
than everybody else in other words those
discoveries were made not through
subjecting an idea to the method but by
creativity in a certain amount of
serendipity both concepts that would
have made old-school empiricists kind of
uncomfortable by the 20th century
scientists were beginning to find that
the scientific method wasn't really
applicable to some of the problems that
we were trying to solve by that time
scientists weren't trying to figure out
where babies came from like Aristotle
was or what made apples fall from trees
they were trying to refine our knowledge
of the universe and those finer details
can get tricky to hypothesize about an
experiment on in 1962 American physicist
and philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn
suggested that there wasn't necessarily
anything wrong with the method but that
we were putting too much pressure on the
method to do all of Sciences work hoon
suggested there were different phases of
science the first just being normal
science which followed the scientific
method and tested hypotheses with
experimentation and everybody in a
particular field had a shared
understanding of their discipline within
this framework scientists got to the
bottom of what was already known with
more and more precision and when
something came up that seemed to go
against how they understood the world
they either put it aside
or treated the anomaly like a little not
picking at it with a scientific method
observation hypothesis experiment the
only problem was that these unresolved
anomalies tended to pile up and become
so conspicuous that some scientists
began to question what they thought they
knew take gravity for example Newton
figured out how it worked the Apple is
being pulled toward the earth while the
earth is being pulled toward the Apple
everybody used that framework for 200
years until the anomaly started piling
up for instance based on how other
planets interacted with each other and
how light bent in space NewsView didn't
seem to be true anywhere except here on
earth so Einstein came along and
suggested the existence of photons which
pulled less massive objects toward more
massive objects and even pulled stuff
with no mass toward a massive object all
ideas that Newton would have definitely
objected to and low classical mechanics
made way for quantum mechanics and
physics has never been the same so
Einstein theorized creative possible
solutions where the scientific method
had left us high and dry this is what
kuhn called a paradigm shift or a
complete change in the assumptions made
about a certain area of science during
one of these shifts scientists are
willing to try anything entertain any
crazy notion debate everything we took
for granted to explain an anomaly in the
end there's a change in how everybody
sees the world and the old way of
thinking is replaced with a new one then
normal science takes over again
observation hypothesis experiment the
scientific methods equilibrium is
restored since Kuhn though more changes
have been made to how we do science I'm
talking about computers here lots of
them because at this point a robot can
actually do science all by itself in
2009 scientists and whales built a robot
that could successfully formulate a
hypothesis design and run its own
experiments analyze data and decide
which experiments to run next of course
the discoveries made by this computer
were pretty modest revelations about the
purpose of different yeast genes but the
point is computers are the future of
science I mean like take CERN's Large
Hadron Collider that thing that's been
turning out a gigabyte of data per
second enough to fill up a DVD every
five seconds that data's being sent to
labs all over the world for analysis
there just aren't enough human
scientists on the planet to process all
that information so
computers were the ones actually
following the scientific method human
scientists would be freed up to do the
cool stuff the collaboration the
creative thinking the serendipitous
observing the strategizing about what
steps to take next at the very least
they'd be doing a lot less pipetting and
that would obviously change a lot about
how we think about science it would
affect everything from the skillset we
look for in a scientist the way that
science is taught in schools it would
basically change the definition of
science at least as far as humans are
concerned and as dependable and
comforting as the scientific method is
to have around and as much as I love
pipetting that's kind of exciting
prospect thanks for watching this
episode of scishow if you have any
questions or comments or suggestions you
can find us on Facebook or Twitter or of
course down in the comments below and if
you want to continue getting smarter
with us here at scishow you can go to
youtube.com/scishow and subscribe
[Music]
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