Scientific Concepts, Laws, Theories and Methods
Scientific Concepts
Scientific concepts are abstract entities that allow us to identify, differentiate and compare, with a certain amount of accuracy, the objects that make up reality and that are studied by a specific science.
Types of scientific concepts
- Classificatory concepts: order and separate different kinds of entities depending on their basic properties (troposphere).
- Comparative concepts: classify and order things into separate groups (the hardness of minerals).
- Metric concepts: are exclusive to science. They express specific properties called quantities (speed).
Scientific Law
Scientific law: is a way of expressing the regular, constant and invariable relationship we observe between two phenomena or between their properties.
Types of laws by criterion
| Criterion | Type of law | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Probability | *Deterministic law *Probabilistic law | *The relationship expressed in the law is always true. *The relationship expressed in the law is true for a certain number of cases. |
| Temporary relationship between phenomena connected by the law | *Laws of coexistence *Laws of succession | *These laws establish a relationship between simultaneous values of two quantities. *These laws establish the conditions between two successive states where one can give rise to the other. |
| Possibility of interference | *Strict laws *Non-strict laws | *These establish relationships between phenomena that cannot be altered by any external circumstance. *These establish relationships between phenomena in which there may be exceptions if certain initial conditions are not met. |
Basic characteristics of laws
Three basic characteristics:
- Universality: all natural beings and phenomena referred to by the law, without exception, are subject to it.
- Necessity: laws not only tell us what things are like, but also that they cannot be any other way.
- Predictive capacity: laws can predict events that will occur in the future, using data from the past and present.
·Scientific theories are constructed by grouping scientific laws until there is a coherent body of knowledge.
Scientific Theory
Scientific theory is a coherent body of knowledge consisting of a set of laws relating to a wide range of observable phenomena.
Characteristics of scientific theories
- They use theoretical terms.
- They cannot be tested directly through experimentation but are tested using the laws that make them up.
Classification of Science
Classification of science:
- Formal science: are not concerned with facts, but with the relationship between a series of symbols that have been previously established according to specific rules.
- Experimental science: focus on observable occurrences and the relationships we can discover between them.
Scientific Method
Classical model
Inductive phase: general laws are established using objective data. Requirements:
- It must involve a great number of observations.
- Observations must be made in a wide range of different circumstances.
- No statement based on observation may contradict the universal law obtained.
Deductive phase: a universal law is related to a specific case and a prediction of a phenomenon is made.
Problems with the classical model
Problems with the classical model: it lacks necessary solidity; the first two requirements are vague.
Modern model (hypothetico-deductive method)
- Posing a problem: an event that appears impossible to explain.
- Gathering empirical data: obtaining as much information as possible.
- Deducing observable consequences.
- Experimental testing.
Technique
Technique is practical knowledge which humans use to act on the environment and modify it for their own benefit.
Characteristics of technique
- It transforms reality: unlike other types of knowledge where what changes is the subject that knows it, when we use technique reality is modified.
- It is in continuous development: this is what differentiates human technical knowledge from animal skills. Whereas swallows always build their nests in the same way, we have moved on from building huts to building skyscrapers.
Technology
Technology is a set of procedures, machinery and resources created thanks to the practical application of scientific knowledge.
Advantages
- An increase in the efficiency of production.
- An improvement in working conditions.
Disadvantages
- Dehumanisation of work and unemployment.
- Overproduction and consumerism.
- Environmental problems.