The Scientific Method: Why science is a crucial process for human progress, not just another academic subject or belief

by Gordon Holman

The purpose of this short book is to provide in one place a systematic, clear description and discussion of the Scientific Method for the general public, students, teachers, and scientists. The style is informal. It is not about any particular field of science. Instead it discusses how science is done and why it is successful. A convenient outline of the Scientific Method is provided and each step is discussed in the book chapters. Easily understood examples from the history of science are used to illustrate each step. The modern practice of science and its connection to society are also discussed. Written by a working scientist, the book straddles the gulf between simplified descriptions of the Scientific Method for young students and academic treatises on the philosophy of science. The author argues that the Scientific Method should be explicitly taught to all students at multiple academic levels. If you want greater confidence in evaluating news reports of new scientific results and discoveries, or if you are considering a career in science, read this book now! Try to evaluate, but do not believe, reports of fantastic new scientific results. Science is not about belief. You can trust scientific results that have been established with the Scientific Method.

89 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2023

Reviews

[Richard Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am not a scientist, I have long considered myself familiar with the Scientific Method. But, I decided to read this short and remarkably concise description of how scientific thinking is done, because of the explosion in recent years of what can only be called "junk" science and anti-science attitudes. The book is easy to read, except for the chapter discussing uncertainty, which becomes bogged down with rather complicated mathematical explanations of how scientists evaluate certainty. The bottom line is that science never achieves absolute (100%) certainty; the goal is to achieve consensus around high levels (90-95%) of certainty, which is considered sufficient to inform policy decisions while continuing to research the issues.