Thursday, October 07, 2004

the solid foundation of science?

"The essence of the scientific method is what is called empiricism (the acquisition of knowledge through the experiences of our senses). Science, then, does not begin with what is definitely known. Instead, it allows evidence, which must be interpreted, to lead the inquirer where it will. Our scientific laws are simply the result of observed uniformities. If I let go of my car keys, they fall to the ground. This happens each time I drop them; so we theorize and construct the Law of Gravity. Although we accept this as a fact, it is not proved as such. Instead, we have reached a conclusion (or proposed a theory) by induction, not deduction. Induction is a philosophical term given to the process of using evidence to reach a wider conclusion: The evidence infers that your conclusion is the best explanation. "
"In science there is no certainty, only high or low probability. Any scientific hypothesis only requires one contrary instance to pull the whole thing down. For several hundred years Newton's theories seemed to be proven, and then along came Einstein. Who knows what will be next? Molecular biologist Dr. Andrew Miller says, "It is certainly not a scientific matter to decide whether or not there is a God."
Quotes from the linked article.

2 comments:

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