Chapter 1-2

Front 1

22. How was the printing press important in supporting the Renaissance in Europe?

Back 1

It stimulated a movement toward literacy and the distribution of new ideas.

This information revolution by mass-produced books helped to further liberate the European populace from narrow religious and governmental control.

Front 2

23. What were the three main elements of Sir Francis Bacon's approach to science?

Back 2

1) Good questions sharpen the focus of scientists and give an understandable purpose.
2) Stay on target and don't philosophize about everything under the sun.
3) Negative instances to help scientists to quickly find their mistakes.

Front 3

24. What was the significance of Sir Francis Bacon's approach to science?

Back 3

Instead of trying to prove their ideas correct, Bacon argued that scientists should try to prove their ideas WRONG.

Front 4

25. What is the difference between subjective(personal) realities and objective(publicly verifiable) realities?

Back 4

1) Subjective realities is not supported by the evidence, and emotional.
2) Objective realities is fact based, observation of measurable fact. It has the human powers of observation (empiricism) and reason (logic) to reveal how the universe and nature works.

Front 5

26. What is the significance of the "Box of empiricism" as it relates to science and all of our experience?

Back 5

While inside the box of empiricism, we can experience reality only in empirical ways. If we sense God or spirituality while we think we are in the box, then we are not in the box. Residency in the Box of Empiricism is an either-or proposition.

Front 6

27. What happens when we try to use scientific rules (empiricism) to argue against spiritualism (and vice versa)? This brings up the "Box of empiricism" idea again.

Back 6

Frustration and confusion probably will follow because human reality is made up of experiences we can comprehend with the philosophy of science, and experiences we cannot explain using science.

Front 7

28. How can our objective self coexist with our subjective self, or can they?

Back 7

They can coexist by making sure not to mix them together. (?) must be kept apart.

Front 8

29. What are some of the classic supernatural phenomena that clash with the scientific way of knowing?

Back 8

"For what purpose"

The purpose of the Universe, the purpose of human

Front 9

30. Why do we so quickly believe in mysterious powers such as mind-reading, and UFOs?

Back 9

Because science can't disapprove those supernatural phenomena. (?)

Front 10

31. How does science deal with absolute truths?

Back 10

Absolute truth has no place in the scientific pursuit of understanding

Front 11

32. What is meant by the statement that "science is a paradox of conservatism seeking revolution?"

Back 11

Science reinforces itself by seeking to overturn its current understandings in pursuit of better explanations.

Front 12

33. What is the importance of the observation that nature happens in constant and repeating patterns (more or less)?

Back 12

nature is knowable and predictable.

The world was not entirely governed by random supernatural forces.

Front 13

34. What is the role of creative thinking and speculation in science?

Back 13

The Scientific process. They provide the new and unusual ideas which are the seeds of scientific adventure.

Front 14

35. Science is constantly seeking new understandings. Do scientific ideas ever reach a point at which they are relatively secure?

Back 14

Yes. Ideas that attempt to explain these areas of uncertainty are not presented as absolute knowledge, but as possible explanations.

Front 15

36. What is the role of evidence in science? How do scientists regard ideas that are presented without evidence?

Back 15

To be examined, tested and verified by all interested parties in the pursuit of scientific understanding.

Rhetoric, but explanations without evidence have little practical value.

Front 16

37. Review the 8 points about what science does.

Back 16

1) Accepting that our minds have the intellectual capacity to understand and appreciate the workings and beauty of our world, nature, and the cosmos.
2) Providing an open arena in which all ideas can be freely discussed and evaluated
3) There are times when wild speculation can be helpful in opening up a new channel of inquiry
4) All ideas must be supported by evidence
5) Attempting to understand and describe nature using the simplest possible explanations.
6) Scientific investigators arrive at the simplest possible explanation by attempting to falsify all possible explanations (hypotheses). The one hypothesis that cannot be shown false, remains as the most likely explanation... for the time being.
7) Recognizing that its current understandings may be shown to be incomplete or false tomorrow
8) Seeking understanding about nature, and follows the road toward these understandings, wherever that road leads - destination unknown.

Front 17

38. Review the 4 points about what science does not do.

Back 17

1) Scientists don’t establish a belief and then go in search of evidence to support this belief.
2) Science does not profess to have all the answers, nor does it claim that its current understandings are absolute, permanent, and never changing.
3) Science does not cling to old theories and defend them against the crush of new, scientific ideas.
4) Science does not admonish you to believe its understandings. It has no political agenda.

Front 18

39. In the overall scheme of things in our modern civilization, what are the interconnected roles of: 1) science; 2) technology; 3) commerce; and 4) public oversight?

Back 18

1) It contributes by finding out how things work.

2) The creative application of scientific understandings.

3) The human enterprise that mediates trade, commerce.

4) It ensures those activities serve the public good and fosters a stable and fair environment for commerce.

Science, technology and business work together and make our lives more convenient, more comfortable, more interesting, more enriching and longer.

Front 19

40. What was the core of Sir Francis Bacon's revolutionary approach to science?

Back 19

Objective. Instead of trying to prove themselves correct, he warned that they should try to disprove their claims.

Front 20

41. Bacon encouraged scientists to be more aggressive in their studies of nature. What process could they engage in that was more aggressive than previous ways of studying nature?

Back 20

Scientists should try to prove their ideas wrong. (?)

Front 21

42. What are the shortcomings of the scientific method? Why is the so-called scientific method not practiced?

Back 21

The so-called “scientific method” really doesn’t reflect the larger practice of modern science because the practice of modern science involves a variety of activities, and it is not restricted to just performing experiments.