what is science / philosophy of science

describe different ways science can be defined

• psychological laws

• generation of laws (first law of thermodynamics: energy can be neither created nor destroyed….)

discuss whether psychology is a science

• scientific rigor depends on subfield of psychology

empiricists

• scientific knowledge through observations

  • sensory observation

  • science is cumulative knowledge

  • theories developed based on observation and can be tested directly

• example: charles darwin and the galapagos islands studying birds, natural selection and observing natural world

popper

• reject empiricism

  • theories can’t be tested directly only based on implications

  • emphasize refutability is the key to science

kuhn

• disagree with popper

  • theories are not rejected due to conflicting evidence but instead involving paradigm shifts

what ways is science limited in its ability to be objective

• Science can be limited by human biases, the influence of subjective interpretation, and the constraints of current methodologies, which may affect observations and conclusions

describe whether there are scientific facts and how does it depend on one’s philosophy of science

• empiricists believe there are scientific facts (theories can beverified), while popper argue that facts are socially constructed through scientific practice

discuss whether scientific theories can be proven or verified and implications for the existence of scientific facts

• distinguish observations and interpretations

• observations may be considered facts

  • popper → scientific theories cannot be verified (only by implications)

  • empiricism → affirm factual testing

what is an example of scientific theory

• climate change (on-going discussion, controversial)