"The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century."
The debate over whether scientific knowledge is acquired through generalized principles derived from specific observations (induction) or through logical deduction from a set of premises (deduction).
Epistemology: The branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge and belief, and how we acquire and justify them.
Empiricism: The philosophical belief that knowledge is gained through sensory experiences and empirical evidence.
Rationalism: The philosophical belief that knowledge is gained through reason and logical analysis.
Inductive reasoning: The process of making generalizations based on specific observations or evidence.
Deductive reasoning: The process of deriving logical conclusions from a set of premises, using rules of inference.
Scientific method: The systematic approach to scientific inquiry that involves observation, hypothesis formation, experimentation, and conclusion-drawing.
Falsifiability: The ability of scientific hypotheses or theories to be disproven under certain conditions.
Confirmation bias: The tendency to seek out and interpret evidence in a way that supports one's pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses.
Hypothetico-deductive method: The scientific method that involves formulating a hypothesis, testing it through experimentation, and either confirming or rejecting it based on the results.
Occam's Razor: The principle that, when there are multiple explanations for a phenomenon, the simplest one is usually the most likely to be true.
Bayes' Theorem: A mathematical formula that describes the probability of an event given prior knowledge or evidence.
Induction problem: The philosophical question of how we can justify making generalizations based on specific instances, and whether induction is a reliable form of reasoning.
Deduction problem: The philosophical question of how we can ensure the logical validity of deductive reasoning and whether deductive arguments are always sound.
Scientific realism: The philosophical position that scientific theories and explanations accurately represent the world as it is.
Instrumentalism: The philosophical position that scientific theories and explanations are only useful for making predictions or organizing data, but do not accurately represent reality.
Strong Induction: This type of induction involves using multiple observations and then constructing a conclusion based on the premise of the existence of a pattern within that particular group of observations.
Weak Induction: In this type of induction, we make a conclusion based on a single observation or a limited set of observations without any underlying rule or pattern.
Statistical Induction: This type of induction utilizes statistical analysis to make a prediction about a population based on the available data about that population.
Analogical Induction: Analogical induction involves making a generalization based on similarities observed between two different cases.
Bayesian Induction: This type of induction uses Bayes' Theorem to attach a probability to a hypothesis based on the available evidence.
Categorical Deduction: Deductive reasoning can also be called categorical reasoning or syllogism. This type involves deriving a conclusion based on the premises that are presented.
Hypothetical Deduction: Hypothetical deduction involves the logical process of deducing what would be the possible outcome if a particular condition was present.
Disjunctive Deduction: In this type, we start with a disjunction (either A or B is true) and deduce what must be true given the disjunction is true.
Inference to the Best Explanation: This type of deduction involves positing a hypothesis that has a higher probability of being true and then using that hypothesis to deduce an explanation for the observed data.
Modus Tollens: This deductive reasoning involves starting with an assertion, positing a consequent, and then using a negation of the consequent to deduce something else.
"since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific method for additional detail.)"
"It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; the testability of hypotheses, experimental and the measurement-based statistical testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses."
"refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings."
"Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, the underlying process is frequently the same from one field to another."
"The process in the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypothetical explanations), deriving predictions from the hypotheses as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments or empirical observations based on those predictions."
"A scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable, implying that it is possible to identify a possible outcome of an experiment or observation that conflicts with predictions deduced from the hypothesis; otherwise, the hypothesis cannot be meaningfully tested."
"The purpose of an experiment is to determine whether observations agree with or conflict with the expectations deduced from a hypothesis."
"Experiments can take place anywhere from a garage to a remote mountaintop to CERN's Large Hadron Collider."
"Though the scientific method is often presented as a fixed sequence of steps, it represents rather a set of general principles."
"Not all steps take place in every scientific inquiry (nor to the same degree)."
"They are not always in the same order."
"A hypothesis is a conjecture, based on knowledge obtained while seeking answers to the question."
"Scientists then test hypotheses by conducting experiments or studies."
"applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"the testability of hypotheses, experimental and the measurement-based statistical testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses."
"...the development of science since at least the 17th century... acquiring knowledge."