The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

What is Scientific

Science is everywhere in our modern technological world, yet scientific illiteracy is almost as common. Scientific illiteracy stems from a lack of proper education about the processes and methods of science. In our K12 schools, we often study scientific subjects (e.g., physics, chemistry, biology), but little attention is given to the systematic process used to acquire scientific knowledge through observation, experimentation, and analysis. However, properly evaluating the veracity of any scientific claim requires an understanding of this process. The first step in understanding is to define some basic terminology of this process, which is the purpose of this article.

A Scientific Hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis must be based on observations or experimentation and must make testable, reproducible predictions about reality, beginning with an educated guess or scientific speculation. If a hypothesis is repeatedly independently demonstrated by observations or experiments to be true, it becomes a scientific theory. In colloquial usage, the words hypothesis and theory are often used interchangeably, but this is incorrect in the context of science.

A Scientific Theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world that has been repeatedly tested and has corroborating evidence in accordance with the Scientific Method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluation of results. Where possible, theories are tested under controlled conditions in an experiment. In circumstances not amenable to experimental testing, theories are evaluated through principles of abductive reasoning. Established scientific theories have withstood rigorous scrutiny and embody scientific knowledge. The definition of scientific theory differs from everyday usage of the term "theory," which often implies a guess or speculation.

Hard and Soft Sciences are colloquial terms used to compare scientific fields on the basis of perceived methodological rigor, exactitude, and objectivity. In general, the formal sciences and natural sciences are considered hard science by their practitioners, whereas the social sciences and other sciences are described by them as soft science. Precise definitions vary, but features often cited as characteristic of hard science include producing testable predictions, performing controlled experiments, relying on quantifiable data and mathematical models, a high degree of accuracy and objectivity, higher levels of consensus, faster progression of the field, greater explanatory success, cumulativeness, replicability, and generally applying a purer form of the scientific method.

Hard science refers to fields like physics, astronomy, Earth science, chemistry, and biology that deal with observable and measurable phenomena. These sciences are characterized by rigorous methodologies, including controlled experiments and quantifiable data. Soft science refers to the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, that study complex human behavior and societal structures. Unlike hard sciences, soft sciences often deal with variables that are more abstract and difficult to measure.

Scientific Speculation is the process of forming hypotheses or theories based on limited or incomplete information. This form of speculation often drives research and generates new ideas in science, and it is essential to scientific inquiry, but it can lead to unfounded beliefs if not approached critically. If the predictions of scientific speculation are not confirmable by observation or experimentation, the speculation is not yet testable and, to that extent, remains unscientific in a strict sense. However, a new technology or technique might make the necessary observations or experiments feasible. For example, while a hypothesis about the existence of other intelligent species may be convincing when grounded in scientific speculation, no known observation or experiment can test this hypothesis. Therefore, science itself can have little to say about the possibility. In the future, a new technology or technique may allow for an observational or experimental test, and the scientific speculation would then become part of accepted science.

Scientific Consensus is the collective judgment and opinion of the majority of qualified experts in a specific scientific field, based on substantial evidence and peer-reviewed research. It reflects a high level of agreement among scientists regarding a particular conclusion or claim. Scientific consensus is not proof that the hypotheses, theories, or speculations are correct or settled, for as has been said:

“The only thing that scientific consensus does is to elevate a scientific hypothesis to a scientific theory, and it never results in settled science.”
 - Mark Dawson

The overturning of scientific consensus is the history of science, and the greatest scientists are those who have ignored scientific consensus to advance a new scientific perspective. Consequently:

“There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.”
 - Michael Crichton

Settled Science refers to scientific theories or principles that have been extensively tested and widely accepted within the scientific community, indicating a high level of confidence in their validity. However, it is important to note that science is always open to revision with new evidence, meaning that no scientific theory is ever completely settled. Any scientific fact that contradicts settled science would invalidate the settledness of the science. Or as a great scientist once said:

“The great tragedy of science—the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”
  - Thomas Henry Huxley

Understanding this terminology helps distinguish junk science from real science and supports better-informed decisions about scientific claims. Scientific claims that often have real-world consequences for the betterment or impairment of humankind.

Disclaimer

Please note that my Science Articles disclaimer applies to this article, as it does to all of my science articles. These science articles are for the purposes of general scientific information that is understandable to a layperson, so that they can grasp the concepts of the topic being discussed. As such, they are neither as accurate nor as thorough as academics, scientists, engineers, and science writers strive to achieve. My hope is that these science articles will be informative and interesting, and that they will pique the reader's interest in exploring these topics in further detail via the hyperlinks that I have embedded into these articles.