Why Darwin’s Inconsistency Is Significant
In the article Darwin and the scientific method, author Francisco Ayala compares two scientific methods and discusses Charles Darwin’s impact on the scientific community. A scientific method is a procedure that scientists use to make systematic observations, experiments, and to formulate a hypothesis. During the 18th century, Darwin discovered one of many reasons on why evolution occurs and established the theory of natural selection that would later become the model for other scientific studies. However, many scientists questioned his approach that was a technique traditionally different from the modern scientific method. Because of this, Ayala draws a comparison of the two scientific methods, critiques …show more content…
It satisfies all three points that inductive method fails to meet. However, the hypothesis must meet all four experimental principles and the demarcation criteria in order to be scientific. First, it must be consistent. A hypothesis should not be illogical and contradicts with the empirical evidence. Next, it must hold explanatory values and identifies mechanisms that explain the significance of a phenomenon. A hypothesis that is redundant and fails to establish relationships between their conditions and consequences should be dismissed. A good hypothesis about the shape of the solar system would explain that planets surround the Sun because of gravitational force. In addition, it must be common enough that it can be improved by another hypothesis. One example of this would be the theory of relativity, which later replaced the two fundamentals of Newton's theory. Finally, a hypothesis must agree with some but all empirical possibilities, so that it is falsifiable or meets the demarcation criterion. An example of falsifiable hypothesis would be to claim that enzymes are the only proteins that catalyze the chemical reactions but is later proven false because certain RNA molecules can function like enzymes and catalyze their own reactions. When a hypothesis meets the demarcation criteria and the four principles, the hypothesis is considered
In the article Darwin and the scientific method, author Francisco Ayala compares two scientific methods and discusses Charles Darwin’s impact on the scientific community. A scientific method is a procedure that scientists use to make systematic observations, experiments, and to formulate a hypothesis. During the 18th century, Darwin discovered one of many reasons on why evolution occurs and established the theory of natural selection that would later become the model for other scientific studies. However, many scientists questioned his approach that was a technique traditionally different from the modern scientific method. Because of this, Ayala draws a comparison of the two scientific methods, critiques …show more content…
It satisfies all three points that inductive method fails to meet. However, the hypothesis must meet all four experimental principles and the demarcation criteria in order to be scientific. First, it must be consistent. A hypothesis should not be illogical and contradicts with the empirical evidence. Next, it must hold explanatory values and identifies mechanisms that explain the significance of a phenomenon. A hypothesis that is redundant and fails to establish relationships between their conditions and consequences should be dismissed. A good hypothesis about the shape of the solar system would explain that planets surround the Sun because of gravitational force. In addition, it must be common enough that it can be improved by another hypothesis. One example of this would be the theory of relativity, which later replaced the two fundamentals of Newton's theory. Finally, a hypothesis must agree with some but all empirical possibilities, so that it is falsifiable or meets the demarcation criterion. An example of falsifiable hypothesis would be to claim that enzymes are the only proteins that catalyze the chemical reactions but is later proven false because certain RNA molecules can function like enzymes and catalyze their own reactions. When a hypothesis meets the demarcation criteria and the four principles, the hypothesis is considered