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vlada-n [284]
3 years ago
6

Science is often defined inadequately as “an organized body of knowledge.” This would make cookbooks, Sears, Roebuck catalogues,

and telephone books science, which they are not. Sometimes science is defined simply as rationality, but that would make much of theology and metaphysics science, which they are not. Rationality is logical consistency, lack of contradiction. It is to be distinguished from reasonableness, the quality of a mind open to arguments and evidence opposed to its beliefs: a willingness to reconsider. Rationalists can be quite unreasonable or dogmatic. Rationalist metaphysicians and theologians are often certain about premises which come from intuition or revelation. Even paranoiacs may be thought of as rationalists, for they are commonly most rigorous in reasoning. But their premises, which they cling to in spite of all evidence, are absurd.
WHAT SCIENCE IS

Science is empirical, rational, general, and cumulative; and it is all four at once. Science is empirical in that all its conclusions are subject to test by sense experience. Observation is the base on which science rests, but scientific observation is more than keeping one’s eyes open. It is observation made by qualified observers under controlled conditions of those things which confirm or disconfirm, verify or refute a theory. Sherlock Holmes* could tell by the stains on a vest what a man had eaten for breakfast. From a number of such observations he arrived at a theory about why and how a particular crime was committed. This procedure is excellent for detection but insufficient for science, because it yields only knowledge of particular events. Science would go on to ask why and how crime, not a particular crime, is committed. Science uses facts to test general theories and general theories to make predictions about particular facts.

Scientific observations may be made of things as they exist, like the color of an apple or the temperature of the air, or it may be made of what results from an experiment. An experiment is the deliberate manipulation of conditions in order to bring about what we want to observe. If we want to test the hypothesis that a new plastic can withstand two hundred pounds of pressure without crumbling, we may have to create a situation in which such pressure is applied to a piece of the plastic, because it is unlikely that the situation already exists anywhere in the world, or if it does, that all other factors are kept constant. In some sciences, like astronomy, we do not sufficiently control the subject matter to experiment on it—although we do control the conditions of observation—and we distinguish those sciences from others, like chemistry, in which experiment is possible, by calling the latter “experimental sciences.”

Although all scientific thought ultimately rests on observation, there are vast portions of it which are entirely rational: analysis of the meaning of terms, deductions from existent theories, explorations of the logical relations among concepts and among theories. Logic is applied to science constantly because logic contains the rules of valid thinking. The application of mathematics is often thought, erroneously, to be an index of the status of any science. Of course, the more it can be applied usefully within a science, the more advanced the science. For mathematics functions both as a language in which scientific laws are stated, giving them the utmost precision, elegance, and economy, and as the basis of measurement. Many of the most significant advances in physics, astronomy, and chemistry have depended on advances in and application of mathematics. Without calculus the work of Isaac Newton would have been impossible. Yet great scientific work in other fields, performed by men like Pasteur, Darwin, and Pavlov (with whose names pasteurization, evolution, and conditioned response in psychology are associated), has used little or no mathematics.

In the final sentence of the first paragraph, the authors choose to use the word “absurd” in order to



A- demonstrate that even sound premises can lead to irrational conclusions

B- argue that evidence that seems illogical should not be considered by scientists

C-emphasize a previous distinction between rationality and reasonableness

D- imply that too much rigor can lead to nonsensical inferences

E- convey disdain for those who display uncertainty about their premises
English
1 answer:
frez [133]3 years ago
4 0

Answer:

I think the answer is D-imply that too much rigor can lead to nonsensical inferences

Explanation:

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What three things was Fredrick Douglass deprived of as a child that his audience thinks every child should have?
Stells [14]

Three things that Frederick Douglas was deprived of as a child and his audience thinks every child should have are:

The presence of his mother: his master separated him from his mother just after his birth. Because of this, he did not develop familiar feelings towards his mother. He said that, when he knew she had died, she felt the same as if a stranger would have died.

Freedom: He explains how unnatural slavery is and the means by which slave owners distort social bonds and the natural processes of life in order to turn man into slaves.

Sense of personal history: By removing a child from his immediate family, slaveholders destroy his support network and the sense of belonging.


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3 years ago
Boudinot believes that the whites have an incorrect perception of the humanity of the Cherokee people which details from the tex
Artyom0805 [142]

Answer:

A. "But such impressions, originating as they frequently do, from infant prejudices, do great injustices to many of this race of beings."

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non fiction and fiction

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8 0
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In the last letter chris sent to westerberg, he wrote, "this is the last time you shall hear from me," and "if the adventure pro
krok68 [10]

Answer:

Chris had a premonition of what might happen

Explanation:

There is nowhere in the book that shows that Chris was suicidal or had a wish to die. He was downcast and unsure of his return because of his high unpreparedness for his adventure to the Alaskan wilderness. This is not the only dangerous event that Chris had undertaken, he only foresaw the danger in this coupled with his ineffective preparation for the journey.

"This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here. Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return south. If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again, I want you to know you're a great man. I now walk in the wild."

From this letter, we could see that Chris still saw a possibility of return, though slim. "It might be a very long time before I return south", this is enough evidence that he had no plan to kill himself, he only foresaw impending fatality in the adventure which may cause the wilderness to see his end.

7 0
3 years ago
What’s the answer ??
12345 [234]

Answer:

future progressive

Explanation:

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7 0
3 years ago
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