Author:
Di Ventra, Massimiliano, author.
Edition Statement:First edition.
ImprintOxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2018.
Imprint2018
Descriptionxi, 114 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm
Note:1. Science without philosophy? -- 2. Material world and objective reality -- 3. First principles and logic -- 4. Natural phenomena and the primacy of experiment -- 5. Observation and experimentation -- 6. The role of human faith in science -- 7. Approximate and limited description of natural phenomena -- 8. Hypothesis -- 9. Theory -- 10. Competing theories -- 11. Can one theory be "derived" from another? -- 12. Verifying or falsifying? And what? -- 13. Don't be a masochist! -- 14. "Consensus" in science? What is that? -- 15. Flow chart of the scientific method -- 16. The "what" and "why" questions -- 17. "Scientism": abusing the scientific method -- 18. Final thoughts.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (page 111) and index.
Note:"This book looks at how science investigates the natural world around us. It is an examination of the scientific method, the foundation of science and basis on which our scientific knowledge is built. ... [It] addresses all concepts pertaining to the scientific method. It includes discussions on objective reality, hypotheses and theory, and the fundamental and unalienable role of experimental evidence in scientific knowledge. ... Di Ventra also examines the limits of science and the errors we make when abusing its method in nonscientific contexts. By reflecting on the general method, the reader can critically sort through other types of scientific claims, and judge their ability to apply it in study and in practice."-- Back cover.
