Objectives of the Workshop
- Teach about the philosophy of science
- Science is empirical - interpretation is based on the use of standardized measurements and observation, hypothesis testing, and repetition. Thus science is based on facts rather than faith.
- How do scientists determine facts and develop theories?
- What is a theory and how does it differ from a guess?
- Science is more than just facts; facts and their interpretation are subject to change based on new information.
- How can facts be wrong? Or is it only interpretation?
- Are there degrees of wrongness?
- Science is a way of accumulating knowledge and structuring our understanding (a way of knowing), that allows for change - scientific truth is what works best for the longest time. As knowledge expands, theories may be modified or discarded.
- Why do researchers disagree, change their minds?
- How are old theories replaced?
- Teach about the nature of scientific research (the process, the culture)
- Researchers build on past knowledge
- The importance of standardization - systems of measurement; rules for stadardization
- The importance of publication - role of institutes, collections, etc.
- The importance of peer review - methods of evaluation (what is valid, what is false); the culture of science
- Knowledge increases incrementally, usually
- Importance of breaking problems into smaller pieces that can be handled experimentally.
- Importance of integration.
- Team work is important
- No one can know or do everything.
- The best science transcends the specific to inform the general
- It is essential to integrate specific information with results of many other experiments to gain insight into larger problems.
- The process of discovery
- How are new discoveries made?
- Why is basic research so important?
- What are the differences between basic and applied research?
- Can we predict break-throughs? How can we know which direction to take or question to ask?
