Origins of the Scientific Method Essay Example

Origins of the Scientific Method Essay Example Origins of the Scientific Method Essay Origins of the Scientific Method Essay It is only through the scientific method that the knowledge in the field of sciences can be verified.   Scientists must recognize that their assumptions and experience can be good sources for ideas, these ideas may be flawed. This is why scientists have to undergo the processes using scientific methods to validate both descriptions and explanations of phenomena in their discipline. Central to all scientific methods is the requirement that all propositions, or hypotheses, be subjected to empirical testing, and that this research be carried out in such a way that it can be observed, evaluated, and replicated by others. The four goals of scientific research are to: â€Å"(1) describe a phenomenon, (2) predict the occurrence of the phenomenon, (3) determine the origin or the causal event underlying this occurrence, and (4) explain the process creating or producing the phenomenon†. The scientific method provides a set of rules for gathering, evaluating, and reporting this informa tion (Malakoff, 1999).The development of scientific method is history is quite vague. This is because while the scientific method may appear to be both a practical and logical method of investigating scientific phenomena, it actually took a considerable amount of time for the method to evolve into its current form (Grinell 1992, p. 15). During the time of the ancient Greeks, philosophers such as Aristotle did not employ experimentation to confirm their observations. Aristotle thought that â€Å"science is not mere description or the ability to predict on the basis of previous experience; the aim of science is causal explanation in the interest of understanding†. However, Aristotle based his â€Å"scientific explanation† to consist intelligible ideas without any experimental basis (Dougherty, 2006). In fact, the great Greek philosophers believed that observation alone, without the support of either experiments or mathematics, was satisfactory enough to understand the re ality of the world around them.Relying merely on observation as â€Å"scientific thinking† persisted for centuries. It was not until the Renaissance period in Europe, and a resurgence of an interest in invention, science, and discovery, that scientists began to mathematically and experimentally question the world around them. One of the first documented uses of experimentation to confirm observations was by William Gilbert in 1600. Gilbert was a prominent physician of his time who became interested in applying the principles of magnetism to medicine. In a book entitled De Magnete (The Magnet) Gilbert outlined a detailed inductive investigative approach to explain the use of magnets in medicine. The results of his studies had far-reaching implications on science. His research on magnetism provided the foundation for studies well into the 18th century (Windelspecht, 2002, p. 208).Most readings generally attribute the use of scientific method to Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Actu ally, there is an anecdote how Galileo formulated the scientific method. As the story goes, the young boy Galileo moved with his family to Florence, the heart of Renaissance culture. When he was 17, he left for the University of Pisa to study medicine, a career his father, a none-too-wealthy mathematician, had encouraged Galileo to enter. While in Pisa one day, young Galileo was sitting in the cathedral when he noticed the pendulum swing of the beautiful chandelier that hung from the ceiling. Already more attuned to observing and pondering the mysteries of nature than attending to the philosophical abstractions of religious ritual, he became engrossed with the motion of the chandeliers swing. Timing it against his pulse, he noticed that, for as long as he watched it, the chandelier completed the same number of swings in the same number of pulse beats. The arc of pendulum swings might become shorter as time passed, but the elapsed time from the beginning of one swing to the beginning of the next always remained the same. Later, at home, Galileo pushed the point further. To verify his observations he set up a simple set of experiments. He tried pendulums tied with weights of different sizes. He made them swing in wide arcs, in medium arcs, and in small arcs, always timing against his pulse (the best time measurement he had at that point). The number of swings in a given length of time never varied unless he changed the length of the string (Drake, 2001, p. 33-34).What Galileo found was the basis about movement and dynamics. But even more important was the method he used to conduct his small experiment: Instead of just reasoning his ideas through logically, in the manner of the ancient Greek philosophers and most of his contemporaries- the scientists or â€Å"natural philosophers† of his day- he measured time and distance and introduced mathematics into physics. Then he tested and proved his point by experiment.It turned out that anyone could repeat Galile o’s experiment and get the same results- another principle that became key to the â€Å"scientific method.† Although others including Francis Bacon and William Gilbert had championed this method, Galileo was really the first who consistently used this repeatable and verifiable approach. He intentionally designed his experiments so that they could be easily reproduced and verified. More importantly, Galileo had used mathematical principles to solve problems of the physical world. This combination of the deductive and inductive processes was the true beginning of the modern scientific method. Despite criticism from colleagues, Galileo continued this method of scientific inquiry in his future studies on the laws of motion.Finally, the scientific method came into full circle when Isaac Newton used it. Isaac Newton was considered by many to be the driving force behind the scientific revolution of the 17th century. In scientific methodology, Newton built on the foundations o f scientific thought presented by Galileo, Gilbert, and Bacon.   In 1687, as part of a landmark physics publication entitled Principia Mathematica, Newton outlined the basis for scientific thought that persists to this day. The major premises presented by Newton firmly established the link between mathematics, including the new mathematics of calculus, and analytical thought. In his method, Newton did not simply support his statements with philosophical thought. Newton put forth the idea that the results of experimentation and observation should be considered to be accurate until disproved by scientific processes. By using the experimental principles set forth by Galileo, Newton used the scientific method to examine the universal laws of nature. The combination of deductive mathematics and inductive experimental reasoning proved to be a successful combination for Newton and through his success found application in all scientific disciplines (Harper, 2002, p. 174-175).At present, t he scientific method is essential in any scientific undertaking. It is an essential process according to which scientists assimilate the existing information, usually by studying scientific journals and other professional publications. Then they develop testable hypotheses. They design and carry out the research necessary to test this hypothesis. Finally they write up their results as a scientific report. Following peer review, the report may be published in the technical literature. In this way, it fertilizes the body of scientific knowledge for the benefit of humankind.