Human Flourishing
Human Flourishing
Human Flourishing
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable
explanations and predictions about the universe. the intellectual and practical activity encompassing
the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through
observation and experiment.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology is the continually developing result of accumulated knowledge and application in all
techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in industrial production and scientific research.
Science as Method
The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge that has characterized the
development of science since at least the 17th century. It involves careful observation, applying
rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one
interprets the observation.
The scientific method
At the core of biology and other sciences lies a problem-solving approach called the scientific method.
1. Make an observation.
2. Ask a question.
The scientific method is used in all sciences—including chemistry, physics, geology, and psychology. The scientists
in these fields ask different questions and perform different tests. However, they use the same core approach to find
Let's build some intuition for the scientific method by applying its steps to a practical problem from everyday life.
1. Make an observation.
Let's suppose that you get two slices of bread, put them into the toaster, and press the button. However, your bread
2. Ask a question.
3. Propose a hypothesis.
A hypothesis is a potential answer to the question, one that can somehow be tested. For example, our hypothesis in
this case could be that the toast didn't toast because the electrical outlet is broken.
A prediction is an outcome we'd expect to see if the hypothesis is correct. In this case, we might predict that if the
electrical outlet is broken, then plugging the toaster into a different outlet should fix the problem.
1. Prediction: If I plug the toaster into a different outlet, then it will toast the bread.
To test the hypothesis, we need to make an observation or perform an experiment associated with the prediction. For
instance, in this case, we would plug the toaster into a different outlet and see if it toasts.
1. Test of prediction: Plug the toaster into a different outlet and try again.
If the toaster doesn't toast, then the hypothesis is not supported—likely wrong.
The results of a test may either support or contradict—oppose—a hypothesis. Results that support a hypothesis can't
conclusively prove that it's correct, but they do mean it's likely to be correct. On the other hand, if results contradict
a hypothesis, that hypothesis is probably not correct. Unless there was a flaw in the test—a possibility we should
always consider—a contradictory result means that we can discard the hypothesis and look for a new one.
6. Iterate.
The last step of the scientific method is to reflect on our results and use them to guide our next steps.
Left panel: My bread toasts! Hypothesis is supported. Right panel: My bread still won't toast. Hypothesis is not
supported.
1. Iteration time!
Left panel (in case of hypothesis being supported): But what is actually wrong with the outlet? Right panel (in case
of hypothesis not being supported): Hmm...maybe there is a broken wire in the toaster.
If the hypothesis was supported, we might do additional tests to confirm it, or revise it to be more specific.
If the hypothesis was not supported, we would come up with a new hypothesis. For instance, the next
In most cases, the scientific method is an iterative process. In other words, it's a cycle rather than a straight line. The
result of one go-round becomes feedback that improves the next round of question asking.
SCIENCE AS RESULTS
Science is a social endeavor like all other human activity.Science is a social endeavor means the
application of the science to figuring out how the world works,exist, originated, etc. Another
dimension of science as a social endeavor is to solve various problems,satisfy various needs and
sustainable development of society with the help of scientific knowledge.The study of science
As a social endeavor has a prominent place in any curriculum that has “science literacy” as one
of its aims. Development of Scientific literacy is considered to be the major aim of studying
science as a social endeavor.