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Return to E-mail Discussion page Previous in threadNext in thread ---------- From: Scott Franklin <franklis@alpha.dickinson.edu> To: duncan@scienceintegration.org Subject: Re: key insights from science Date: Mon, Jan 10, 2000, 6:12 PMEric Weeks introduced me to this group and I've been lurking for a few months now. Feinberg's five principles are not ones I would choose as representing science. In fact, they are exactly the type of "factoid" bits of knowledge I would *not* emphasize. It is important to remember that science describes how nature appears to act or, more specifically, makes predictions about the future based upon prior observations. Feinberg's first principle could be re-written to read "Experiments indicate that matter behaves as if it were composed of a few basic consituents subject to the same laws that appear to govern all phenomena." I'm not trying to water down scientific knowledge and, if betting on the exact time of sunset, would certainly appeal to the local astronomer. Nevertheless, science is a description of nature based upon observations. Discussions of whether matter really is comprised of the same materials or rather a capricious set of angels flies around continually deceiving are inappropriate (science really can't say one way or the other). I'm currently designing physics curricula for non-science majors. Scientific literacy (as defined by Arons in his excellent book "A Guide for Teaching Physics) emphasizes the role of observation, the attempt to connect seemingly disparate phenomena with few explanations, and the ability to devise relevant experiments to investigate new phenomena. Specific content is absent. Many people seem surprised when I tell them that I do not consider Newton's Laws to be necessary knowledge for the general population. What I mean, though, is that before anyone can understand and appreciate Newton's Laws he or she must first understand how scientific "laws" are developed. This (and affiliated concepts) can take a long time, and rushing ahead to cover content is particularly counter-productive (or so the results of much physics education research indicate). goaded from silence i now await my rebuke ;-) scott franklin |
