Myths of Science

1.
I firmly believed that science is one of the most important channels of

knowledge. That it has a specific role, as well as a variety of functions for the
benefit of our society: creating new knowledge, improving education, and
increasing the quality of our lives science is also a reliable process by which
we learn about all that stuff in the universe. However, science is different from
many other ways of learning because of the way it is done. Science relies on
testing ideas with evidence gathered from the natural world. This website will
help you learn more about science as a process of learning about the natural
world and access the parts of science that affect your life.
As I assess my understanding of the nature of science based on the

statements that were given below I find it complex and multi-faceted. But I
realize as I answer those myths of science that the fundamental reason for
teaching about the nature of science is to help us students to think for
ourselves and reach our own explanations and conclusions in ways that
consider the scientific dimensions of socio scientific issues.
In conclusion science aims to build knowledge about the natural

world. This knowledge is open to question and revision as we come up with
new ideas and discover new evidence. Because it has been tested and
scientific knowledge is reliable.
2.
Direction: Each statement below is about science. Some statements are true and some
are false. On the line in front of each statement, write T if it is true and F if it is
false. Then support your response to each statement with at least one
paragraph on a separate sheet of paper.
__F_____1. Science is a system of beliefs.
__F_____2. Most scientists are men because males are better at scientific thinking.
__T_____3. Scientists rely heavily on imagination to carry out their work.
__F_____4. Scientists are totally objective in their work.
__F_____5. The scientific method is the accepted guide for conducting research.
__T_____6. Experiments are carried out to prove cause-and-effect relationships.
__F____7. All scientific ideas are discovered and tested by controlled experiments.
__F_____8. A hypothesis is an educated guess.
__F_____9. When a theory has been supported by a great deal of scientific evidence, it
becomes a law.
__T_____10. Scientific ideas are tentative and can be modified or disproved but never
proved.
__T_____11. Technology preceded science in the history of civilization.
___F____12. In time, science can solve most of society’s problems.
1. Science is a system of beliefs.
 I firmly believed that Science is not a “belief system” but Science is a tool, a
methodology for learning about the world through observation, experimentation and
hands-on measurement. Science gathers concrete facts and data regarding a
phenomenon. Therefore, there are no beliefs involved at any point in the process. It
deals with evidence, cold, hard facts. Not with unsubstantiated claims. Science does not
ask you to believe, it presents proof of its arguments.
2. Most scientists are men because males are better at scientific thinking.
 The idea that science is a male domain is more a remnant of historical prejudice than a
true understanding of the history and nature of science. Societal attitudes have often
made it difficult for girls and women to pursue science, to the point that a female
scientist like astronomer Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) needed to rely on her brothers
William and John to disseminate her research. But there is no evidence that men are
inherently better at science.
3. Scientists rely heavily on imagination to carry out their work.
 I inclined to believe that scientist use their creativity to determine which smaller
questions are likely to yield results and imagine the possible answers to their questions,
and devise ways to test those answers. So, imagination comes hand in hand with
curiosity when it comes to science. Curiosity gets you to ask the questions, while
imagination gets you to come up with ideas or hypothesis to explain your questions.
Once you make the hypotheses, you can test them out and use real data and evidence
to back up or refute your original hypothesis.
4. Scientists are totally objective in their work.
 We often assume scientists are always objective, but scientists do not bring empty
heads to their research. Their background knowledge, experiences and the existing
concepts they hold mean they can’t be objective. Like all observers, they have a myriad
of preconceptions and biases that they will bring to every observation and
interpretation they make.
5. The scientific method is the accepted guide for conducting research.
 I inclined to believe that in conducting a research using scientific method is an accepted
guide for conducting research. It collects measurable, empirical evidence in an
experiment related to a hypothesis, the results aiming to support or contradict a theory.
By using a standardized approach in their investigations, scientists can feel confident
that they will stick to the facts and limit the influence of personal, preconceived notions.
6. Experiments are carried out to prove cause-and-effect relationships.
 I believed that surveys suggest relationships, which experiments can help to show to be
cause and effect. Yet experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by
demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated. This
increases the reliability of the results, often through a comparison between control
measurements and the other measurements.
7. All scientific ideas are discovered and tested by controlled experiments.
 For me not all of the support for theories comes from experimentation. For example,
the theoretical basis of the evolution of species, the expansion of the universe, and the
movement of plates in Earth’s crust were developed by studying phenomena through
observation rather than through the manipulation of variables. Science advances from
many types of investigative evidence, which are subject to scrutiny and argumentation
by the scientific community. Historical and observational methods of study are very
much a part of authentic science.
8. A hypothesis is an educated guess.
 In our life we often use of the word ‘hypothesis’ means an intelligent guess. For science,
it can be misunderstood to mean an assumption made before doing an experiment or
an idea not yet confirmed by an experiment. A better definition of a hypothesis in
science is ‘a tentative explanation for a scientific problem, based on currently accepted
scientific understanding and creative thinking’. Hypotheses are supported by lines of
evidence and are based on the prior experience, background knowledge and
observations of the scientists
9. When a theory has been supported by a great deal of scientific evidence, it becomes a law.
 As what I believe a theory does not change into a scientific law even with the
accumulation of new or better scientific evidence. A theory will always remain a theory;
a law will always remain a law. Both theories and laws could potentially be falsified by
countervailing evidence.
10. Scientific ideas are tentative and can be modified or disproved but never proved.
 I inclined to believe that scientific ideas can never be completely proved or completely
disproved. Instead, science accepts or rejects ideas based on supporting and refuting
evidence, and may revise those conclusions if warranted by new evidence or
perspectives.
11. Technology preceded science in the history of civilization
 Actually, technology preceded science in the history of civilization. Civilizations were
making tools for survival long before the understandings of these devices were
reasoned out. Technology invents devices and systems to aid in human survival and to
improve life. Science provides a better fundamental understanding of nature. However,
today science and technology are closely associated, whereby technology supports the
advancement of science and science supports the progress of technology. In some
cases, science precedes technology, while in other instances technology precedes
science.
12. In time, science can solve most of society’s problems.
 Science has achieved many amazing things, but it is not a cure-all for all the problems in
society. Although it can provide some insights that may inform debate, science cannot
answer ethical, moral, aesthetic, social and metaphysical questions. For instance,
science and the resulting technology may be able to clone mammals, but other
knowledge is needed (cultural, sociological and philosophical) to decide whether such
cloning is moral and ethical. Not all questions can be investigated in a scientific manner.

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1.

I firmly believed that science is one of the most important channels of

As I assess my understanding of the nature of science based on the

In conclusion science aims to build knowledge about the natural

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