Essay
A Call for the Revival of the Scientific Method Ivette Fernandez Diaz Ivette Fernandez Diaz was selected as the winner of the 2013-2014 Broad Street Scientific Essay Contest. Her award included the opportunity to interview Dr. Elizabeth Cates as part of the Featured Scientist section of the journal. This paper will discuss the origins, changes, and importance of the Scientific Method, the organized series of steps by which scientists create new knowledge. The Scientific Method is the “principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.” Back in the 6th grade, I learned that the scientific method had 8 steps: 1) Pose a question, 2) Conduct background research, 3) Form a hypothesis, 4) Test the hypothesis, 5) Observe the experiment, 6) Collect data, 7) Analyze the data, and 8a) Ask whether your hypothesis was correct or incorrect, and, if incorrect, 8b) Form a new hypothesis (steps). However, the Scientific Method also often includes an equally important 9th step which is the clear communication of findings, as seen here in Broad Street Scientific publication. Let’s now take a moment to investigate the origin of these steps. The first known person to follow this structured approach to scientific work was the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC). He used inductive reasoning, or empirical measurement, to create and support theories, using detailed observations made by other scientists. His predecessor Plato (427-347 BC) used strictly abstract reasoning to justify natural phenomena; however, Aristotle insisted that abstract reasoning had to be supported by natural observations. Less recognized, but equally contributing was Ibn Al-Haytham (965-1040 AD), the first man to develop a full-fledged scientific process for experimentation. Al-Haytham developed his process in Egypt by observing the natural world, stating problems, forming hypotheses, testing them, analyzing results, drawing conclusions, and reporting the findings. AlBiruni (973-1048 AD) improved upon Al-Haytham’s method by insisting on reproducibility of results and taking an average of results to account for human error in experimentation. Around the same time, the first instance of the aforementioned 9th step came to us through the work of Al-Rahwi (851 – 934 AD), a scientist that added peer review to the process, highlighting the importance of discussing literature with regard to the creation of knowledge - the ultimate goal of the scientific method. Many still consider Roger Bacon (1210-1293 AD) in England to be the creator of the scientific method, and to his credit, he did create one, nearly a century after AlHaytham. His method was spelled out in his Instauratio | 2013-2014| Volume | Volume 2 |2 2013-2014 2012-2013 3 3 2
Magna and was centered on inductive reasoning. He was influenced by his colleagues Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) and Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who together exemplified Aristotle’s notion of physical evidence supporting abstract thought: Copernicus had a theory of our planets revolving around the sun, and Galilei confirmed his theory with observations through a telescope. Years later, Isaac Newton (1642-1727 AD) used the scientific method refined by Al-Haytham and Bacon in all his experiments to mathematically describe nature and motion, creating the fields of calculus and classical mechanics. However, in today’s world of technological revolution, the scientific method has been somewhat overshadowed. Nowadays, data is easily accessible to students through various media. Researchers collect data and post it online, thus eliminating the need for others to perform experiments themselves; instead, these scientists can simply find trends with the data available online and completely skip the “archaic” Scientific Method. But what do we lose when we skip the Scientific Method? We lose scientific inquiry. What the Scientific Method gives us, as self-aware individuals, is an opportunity to observe the physical phenomena in the world around us, to form ideas regarding these phenomena, and to test it in a logical manner. Data-mining effectively removes this independent inquiry. There are no formations of hypotheses or experimental work. The Scientific Method gives us the tools to gather data independently and analyze it in organized steps. It makes discovery the main objective of science through a systematic approach to experimental processes, and encourages collaborative scientific inquiry in youth. Data-mining focuses on finding patterns in raw data, while the Scientific Method discovers the reasons for these patterns. A misconception often perpetuated in the classroom is the idea that data correlating with one’s hypothesis proves the merit of this hypothesis; however, this is not so. Hypotheses cannot be proven or disproven, only supported or opposed. (Karsai 636) Data-mining further confuses students starting out in scientific studies. They could be led to believe that data matching a trend represents an accurate explanation of phenomena. By testing through the Scientific Method, students are not as focused on the correlation between data and a hypothesis, but rather focus on the conclusion data implies (Karsai 636). Instead
Essay of selecting data to validate ideas, the Scientific Method allows scientists to find unbiased, naturally-occurring trends (Lee 67). The process focuses on more than validity of hypotheses (Karsai 633). In order to have a profound theory, the data trend must be reproducible and have a demonstrated cause. This eliminates the errors in science produced by bias (intentional or not) in the experimenter (Harris 10). Another aid the Scientific Method gives to the scientific community is its organization. The orderly fashion by which it tests ideas lends itself to accuracy and precision. Again, the Scientific Method compensates for human prejudice because it is objective (Harris 10). It is a logical process: observe nature, see a pattern in one aspect of it, isolate the aspect, test it, and report on results. If the results don’t completely match the original pattern, go back to the drawing board (Lee 67). This systematic approach allows colleagues to review work for objectivity and flaws. It encourages peer review, which in turn produces better results for the scientific community as a whole. If taught correctly, the Scientific Method can give students realistic experience in research. The method is the basis upon which students can cultivate their ideas and desires to learn collaboratively. (Peterson 216) By applying the method to real-world situations instead of mining for data, students use scientific protocols based in inquiry to test for their own data (Kasair 633). It also introduces them to the idea of failure in a positive way. Just because an experiment’s data produced unanticipated results doesn’t mean that your experiment, hypothesis, or you as a scientist are failures. It reveals the flaws in a hypothesis, allowing it to be modified in order to match trends in data and further test it for accuracy (Kasair 634). In doing so, the Scientific Method allows for continual progress in innovation through inquiry. By having a foundation in the methodology of scientific discovery,we can be less distracted by failure and more focused on the process of finding truths (Karsai 636).
Philosophy of Science 10.2 (1943): 67. JSTOR. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. Peterson, Orval L.. “The Scientific Method: Its Use at Various Levels of Science and in Science Teaching.” University of California Press on behalf of the National Association of Biology Teachers Vol. 14.8 (1952): 215216. JSTOR. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. “scientific method.” Merriam-Webster. MerriamWebster, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/scientific%20metho “Steps of the Scientific Method.” Steps of the Scientific Method. Science Buddies, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ project_scientific_method.shtml>. “Who Invented the Scientific Method?.” Who Invented the Scientific Method?. Explorable.com, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://explorable.com/who-invented-thescientific-method>.
References Al-Khalili, Professor. “The ‘first true scientist’.” BBC News. BBC, 1 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http:// news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7810846.stm> Harris, William. “How the Scientific Method Works” 14 January 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science. howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/ scientific-method.htm> 12 December 2013. “History of the Scientific Method.” - How Science Became Important. Explorable.com, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://explorable.com/history-of-the-scientificmethod>. Karsai, Istvan, and George Kampis. “The Crossroads Between Biology And Mathematics: The Scientific Method As The Basics Of Scientific Literacy.” BioScience 60.8 (2010): 632-638. Google Docs. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. Lee, Harold N.. “Scientific Method And Knowledge.” Volume 3 | 2013-2014 | 3