We explain what scientific thinking is and how it emerged. Also, characteristics and examples of scientific thinking.
What is scientific thinking?
scientific thinking It is a mode of reasoning inaugurated by the appearance of modern sciences . It is based on skepticism, observation and experimentation, that is, on the demonstrable verification of the interpretations we make of the world and the laws that govern it.
Scientific thinking is a type of thinking foreign to the methods and reasoning of religion, magic and medieval scholasticism. On the contrary, he embraces the critical and rationalist thinking of the Renaissance philosophers.
In modernity, It was especially manifested in the Scientific Method formally proposed by the philosopher and writer Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his work De dignitate et augmentis scientarumn (“Of the dignity and progress of science”). But it is above all, together with its application to techniques (technology), of the contemporary world as we know it.
It is highly effective when it comes to translate the observable universe into demonstrable, reproducible and measurable phenomena with the intention that they be independent of individual subjectivities. Thus, it has made available to us methods and tools that were unimaginable in times before its emergence and formalization.
Since then, science has advanced in great strides. The changes it causes present society with ethical debates about responsibility for 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 beginnings. That is why there were great practitioners of what in Antiquity was known as “Philosophy”, or “Natural Philosophy” and which is the direct precursor of modern science.
Scientific thinking itself appeared after the Renaissance . It was the result of the radical philosophical and cultural change that occurred after the end of the Middle Ages and the replacement of religious faith with human reason as the supreme value of humanity.
Characteristics of scientific thinking
Scientific thinking consists of four essential characteristics:
- Objectivity and rationality. Scientific thinking must be alien to the feelings, interests and opinions of those who formulate it, since it tries to obtain conclusions regarding the laws that govern the universe, independently of the appreciation of human beings.
- Demonstrability and verifiability. Scientific conclusions must be universal, and to do so they must be able to be demonstrated empirically, thus being valid throughout the world and being able to be verified through direct experience (experiments) or through an explanation that cannot be refuted by logical and demonstrable arguments.
- Systematicity and methodicality. Scientific thinking is carried out through orderly, explainable procedures that step by step form a rational, empirical system that can be analyzed 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.
- Precision and communicability. Whenever a scientific conclusion is reached, it must be precise, that is, concrete, specific, and must be understandable and explainable to third parties, that is, communicable in its entirety.
Examples of scientific thinking
On the one hand, the so-called exact or hard sciences are a manifestation of scientific thinking. So are those with specific applications in technology, such as electricity, computing or astronomy, for example.
Furthermore, they are examples of scientific thinking an enormous variety of rational, empirical, verifiable and communicable knowledge . These include the laws of physics, the applications of chemistry, the understanding of anatomy and biochemistry.
We also find scientific thinking in less obvious contexts, such as mathematical and logical reasoning, sociological, psychological, economic and other social science theories. In all cases, it is necessary that they comply with the premises and requirements of the scientific method.
References
- “Scientific knowledge” on Wikipedia.
- “Scientific thinking” in Educatina.
- “Scientific thinking and everyday thinking” at Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico).
- “Scientific thinking” in Dallas Learning Cloud.
- “Scientific Method” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
