- What is scientific thinking?
- Origin of scientific thought
- Characteristics of scientific thought
- Examples of scientific thinking
We explain what scientific thinking is and how it came about. Also, characteristics and examples of scientific thinking.
What is scientific thinking?
Scientific thinking is a way of reasoning inaugurated by the emergence of modern sciences. It is based on the skepticism, the observation and the experimentation, that is, in the demonstrable verification of the interpretations that we make of the world and the laws that govern it.
Scientific thinking is a type of thought oblivious to the methods and reasoning of the religion, magic and medieval scholasticism. Rather, embrace the critical thinking and rationalist of the Renaissance philosophers.
In Modernity, it manifested itself especially in the Scientific method, formally proposed by the philosopher and writer Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his work De dignitate et augmentis scientarumn ("On the dignity and progress of science"). But it is above all, together with its application to techniques (the technology), of the contemporary world as we know it.
It is highly effective in translating the observable universe into demonstrable, reproducible and measurable phenomena, with the intention that they are independent of individual subjectivities. Thus, it has put within our reach methods and tools unimaginable in times prior to its emergence and formalization.
Since then, the science strides forward. The changes it provokes present debates to society ethical on the responsibility of its consequences.
Origin of scientific thought
The concern to know and understand the universe, that is, the germ of scientific thought, has existed in our species since its inception. That is why there were great practitioners of what was known in ancient times as "Philosophy", Or" Natural Philosophy "and which is the direct precursor of the modern science.
Scientific thought proper appeared after the Renaissance. It was the result of the radical philosophical and cultural change that occurred after the end of the medieval and the replacement of religious faith by human reason as value supreme of the humanity.
Characteristics of scientific thought
Scientific thinking consists of four essential characteristics:
- Objectivity and rationality. Scientific thought must be alien to the feelings, interests and opinions of whoever formulates it, since it tries to obtain conclusions regarding the laws that govern the universe, regardless of the appreciation of the Humans.
- Demonstrability and verifiability. Scientific conclusions must be universal, and for this they must be able to be demonstrated empirically, thus being valid throughout the world and being able to be verified by direct experience (experiments) or by an explanation that cannot be refuted by means of arguments logical and demonstrable.
- Systematic and methodical. Scientific thought is carried out through ordered, explainable procedures that step by step form a rational, empirical and analyzable system in any of its elements. Thus, for example, an experiment must be able to be replicated as many times as necessary and always obtain the same result.
- Accuracy and communicability. Whenever a scientific conclusion is reached, it must be precise, that is, concrete, specific, and must be able to be understood and explained to third parties, that is, communicable in its entirety.
Examples of scientific thinking
On the one hand, the calls exact Sciences or harsh are a manifestation of scientific thinking. So are those with specific applications in technology, such as electricity, the computing wave astronomy, for example.
In addition, examples of scientific thought are an enormous variety of rational knowledge, empirical, verifiable and communicable. Among them are the laws of the physical, the applications of the chemistry, understanding the anatomy and the biochemistry.
We also find scientific thinking in less obvious contexts, such as reasoning mathematicians and logical, theories sociological, psychological, economic and others social Sciences. In all cases, it is necessary that they comply with the premises and requirements of the scientific method.