How Science is Explained. Health, Medicine, Nursing Research Paper

How Science is Explained
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April 5, 2020
Science is perhaps one of the most, if not the most, exciting fields of study. It allows scholars, students, and laypeople alike to be able to study natural phenomena and occurrences systematically, thereby providing the foundation for progress. However, understanding how natural phenomenon works is not enough to be able to appreciate science completely and disseminate scientific knowledge to the new generation. In one of his treatises, Einstein has said that the fluency in a subject matter requires that the person must be able to explain the topic in such a way that even a six-year-old can grasp the subject matter CITATION Goond \l 1033 (GoodReads.com, n.d.). This simply means that full understanding also requires the capacity to learn knowledge in its fundamental nature, which is simple enough to be conveyed in 'laymen’s terms.’ Nevertheless, even though this does not mean that scientific theories and concepts should be dialed down to cater to the young generation, what this means is that a scientist must be able to explain his results accurately, concisely, and systematically as much as possible. In this article, the author would discuss how science can be explained with these basic tenets in mind, particularly in explaining how “A” is caused by “B.” Initially, the author would discuss some of the reasons why it is essential to explain science by referencing some of the works of notable scholars in history. Subsequently, some of the basic principles of scientific explanation, philosophical models on the discovery, as well as systematic ways of conveying the information to others would be discussed to enrich the discussion on this matter. All in all, the author, by using the right method in explaining science or scientific phenomenon, a more productive discourse and an improvement in its practical application could be achieved.
Need for Explanation
Just like any other field of knowledge, one of the foremost goals of science is the dissemination of newly acquired knowledge to other people. Specifically, this kind of dissemination refers to the explanation of how a result (A) is caused by another element (B). This is evident even during the times of the Ancient Greeks when scholars try to ‘immortalize’ their discoveries by creating diagrams, models, or paradigms that would allow others to learn the cause and effects of specific actions, as well as how these can be applied. Today, it is a well-known fact among scholars (i.e., researchers), practitioners (i.e., engineers), and laypeople alike that explaining how different natural systems could benefit humankind for the sake of knowledge and progress. On the one hand, being able to explain scientific phenomenon allows subsequent pieces of research to use such knowledge as a springboard for discovery. Take, for example, Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which gave subsequent generations of researchers to understand how celestial bodies interact with one another, thereby providing a paradigm in studying celestial objects.
On the other hand, it must also be noted that explaining scientific phenomenon ultimately benefits the world as these discoveries allow practitioners to create objects based on the principles of the natural sciences. For example, Newton’s capacity to illustrate his theories (Newton’s Laws of Motion) allowed humans to create cars, planes, rockets, and every type of vehicle as they are made aware of how the use of force can be used to generate motion and acceleration CITATION Lan12 \l 1033 (Landreth, 2012). In other words, the ability to explain a scientific phenomenon in a concise manner (cause and effect) is crucial in order to add to both the scientific pool of knowledge and the realm of practical application.
Different Paradigms in Explaining Cause and Effect
Cause and effects are central to the process of scientific explanation. Since science is the systematic observation of the natural forces and phenomenon around, then knowing what causes a reaction is required to be able to recreate specific phenomena that can thereafter be applied to the day-to-day activities of humankind. The following sections would discuss some of the most common paradigms that humans have used to identify how A is caused by B.
Scientific Realism
One of the difficulties in teaching science is the fact the inherent trait of people to believe things only when they see them. Without visual proof, students can develop a more hostile attitude towards absorbing new information, mainly if such results have not yet been observed or interacted with in real life . Accordingly, scientific realism tries to explain a scientific phenomenon by recommending that scientists and laypeople alike should believe in scientific theories proposed by the sciences regardless of whether they are observable or not CITATION Lad18 \l 1033 (Ladyman, 2018). Historically, this natural tendency can be observed based on how scholars had treated atoms, electrons, and protons, as well as quarks during the times when they were not yet discovered. There was a prevailing belief during those times that atoms were mere concepts to explain small particles, rather than believing that they are real and tangible particles. Of course, subsequent events would show that those ideas about atoms were false and that these objects are indeed tangible and observable in nature.
Accordingly, scientific realism can be used to explain the sciences even these days, especially considering that what others previously call as ‘concepts’ are now proven to be valid after the discovery of new technologies that would allow for its observation. Perhaps one recent example of how this paradigm can explain cause and effect (A and B) was the creation of the “Large Hadron collider” that showed that the Big Bang is not merely a concept but rather an effect of the collision of particles that are traveling in supersonic speeds CITATION Rit19 \l 1033 (Ritson, 2019).
Empiricism and the Scientific Method
The scientific method is one of the most common and most straightforward frameworks for explaining science. Before the discovery of the scientific method, explaining scientific discoveries were done by scholars by citing ‘figures’ or ‘authorities’ rather than citing the process of how such discoveries were made. Realizing the inherent flaws of this method (i.e., lack of repeatability), Francis Bacon devised a way on how scientists, regardless of who they are, can prove the veracity of their discovery to other scholars CITATION Enc20 \l 1033 (Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2020). Correctly, Bacon’s model starts by ‘making an observation’ around the scientist’s world and ‘asking a question’ based on specific observations. Asking this question is crucial in his analysis since it is the framework where the analysis would revolve around. Subsequently, the scientist is required to formulate a hypothesis, which is an informed guess that is based on previous scientific principles of knowledge. This step allows the researcher to be able to narrow down his ...