Logical positivists contended that what makes a hypothesis meaningful is that it is testable. Quine believed that you cannot test a single hypothesis in isolation and redefined the Quine-Duhem Thesis to claim, “Any seemingly disconfirming observational evidence can always be accommodated to any theory.” (Klee 65) The philosophy of science is mainly apprehensive with the methods, predictions, and conclusions of science. Today, a hypothesis is generally thought by scientists to be a law or theory awaiting to be proven through an experiment. Some question how much evidence or what types of evidence we need in order to construct a reasonable hypothesis. Can they both be correct? An example of a scientific experiment that tested a hypothesis involved
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An estimated 50,000 men and women in the United States will die from cancer of the pancreas this year (American Cancer Society Statistics, 2015). The pancreas is normally involved in a number of digestive and hormonal functions. There is limited available treatment when cancer affects the pancreas and is advanced, which is typically unable to be cured by surgery, radiation, or drug therapy (Mayo Clinic.org). The chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine, is evaluated in this scientific paper by Burris and colleagues (Burris et al, 1997) and this drug currently remains one of the few limited key treatments available for this disease. Gemcitabine is believed to be effective by inhibiting DNA synthesis and thereby affect the division of cancer cells which is involved the growth of pancreas cancer. This study enrolled one hundred and twenty six patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were randomized to receive either a course of gemcitabine versus fluorouracil, an older chemotherapy agent used for pancreas cancer. The primary outcome was a clinical benefit response, which involved pain intensity, a symptom that is frequently experienced in pancreas cancer. The study showed that the clinical benefit response was experienced by 23.8% of gemcitabine patients and 4.8% of fluorouracil patients. Also, the survival rate was 18% for gemcitabine patients and 2% for fluorouracil patients at 12
An estimated 50,000 men and women in the United States will die from cancer of the pancreas this year (American Cancer Society Statistics, 2015). The pancreas is normally involved in a number of digestive and hormonal functions. There is limited available treatment when cancer affects the pancreas and is advanced, which is typically unable to be cured by surgery, radiation, or drug therapy (Mayo Clinic.org). The chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine, is evaluated in this scientific paper by Burris and colleagues (Burris et al, 1997) and this drug currently remains one of the few limited key treatments available for this disease. Gemcitabine is believed to be effective by inhibiting DNA synthesis and thereby affect the division of cancer cells which is involved the growth of pancreas cancer. This study enrolled one hundred and twenty six patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were randomized to receive either a course of gemcitabine versus fluorouracil, an older chemotherapy agent used for pancreas cancer. The primary outcome was a clinical benefit response, which involved pain intensity, a symptom that is frequently experienced in pancreas cancer. The study showed that the clinical benefit response was experienced by 23.8% of gemcitabine patients and 4.8% of fluorouracil patients. Also, the survival rate was 18% for gemcitabine patients and 2% for fluorouracil patients at 12