What are the articles of faith in scientific method?

The scientific method is based on certain “articles of faith.” These are: 

Reliance on Empirical Evidence: Truth is established on the basis of evidence. Conclusion is admitted, only when it is based on evidence. The answer to a question is not decided by intuition or imagination. Relevant data are collected through observation or experimentation. The validity and the reliability of data are checked carefully and the data are analyzed thoroughly, using appropriate methods of analysis.

Use of Relevant Concepts: We experience a vast number of facts through our sense. Facts are things which actually exist. In order to deal with them, we use concepts with specific meanings. They are symbols representing the meaning that we hold. We use them in our thinking and communication. Otherwise, clarity and correct understanding cannot be achieved. 

Commitment of Objectivity: Objectivity is the hallmark of the scientific method. It means forming judgement upon facts unbiased by personal impressions. The conclusion should not vary from person to person. It should be the same for all persons. 

Ethical Neutrality: Science does not pass normal judgment on facts. It does not say that they are good or bad. According to Schrödinger “Science never imposes anything, science states. Science aims at nothing but making true and adequate statements about its object.” 

Generalization: In formulating a generalization, we should avoid the danger of committing the particularistic fallacy, which arises through an inclination to generalize on insufficient or incomplete and unrelated data. This can be avoided by the accumulation of a large body of data and by the employment of comparisons and control groups.  

Verifiability: The conclusions arrived at by a scientist should be verifiable. He must make known to others how he arrives at his conclusions. He should thus expose his own methods and conclusions to critical scrutiny. When his conclusion is tested by others under the same conditions, then it is accepted as correct. 

Logical reasoning process: The scientific method involves the logical process of reasoning.This reasoning process is used for drawing inference from the finding of a study or for arriving at conclusion.

What are the articles of faith in scientific method? What are the articles of faith in scientific method? Reviewed by enakta13 on October 16, 2019 Rating: 5

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