Examines the nature of scientific knowledge, the methodologies used to create it, and the basis for scientific evidence and proof.
Key questions:
What methods can we use to investigate the natural world, and how do we justify
scientific knowledge claims?
Does the scientific method guarantee knowledge that's free from bias?
Should ethical considerations limit scientific advances?
Do imagination and creativity play a role in science?
Is there a single scientific method? When should we be skeptical of scientific findings?
Is new scientific knowledge built incrementally or through sudden insight?
What counts as evidence in the natural sciences? Is science a religion for Ross?
What are the limits of scientific methods and the knowledge it creates?
Can we ever claim scientific certainty? How can scientific knowledge change over time?
Is scientific knowledge more valuable than other knowledge?
What makes knowledge valid? Is there good and bad science?
What is lost or gained when we use one area of knowledge to explain another?
Why should we trust scientific findings?
Who gets credit, and why?
Has science motivated new philosophical questions?
Is the scientific method the only measure of scientific truth?
Should scientific research be subject to ethical constraints, or is the pursuit of all scientific knowledge intrinsically worthwhile
What is the role of imagination and intuition in the creation of hypotheses in the natural sciences?