Kimberly Muzatko's view on the Scientific Method and Western Culture

August 7, 2014
Response Paper Week 1

What is Scientific method and where did it come from? “The scientific method evolved over time, with some of history's greatest and most influential minds adding to and refining the process. Whilst many point to Aristotle and the Greek philosophers as the prime movers behind the development of the scientific method, this is too much of a leap. Whilst the Greeks were the first Western civilization to adopt observation and measurement as part of learning about the world, there was not enough structure to call it the scientific method. It is fair to say that Aristotle was the founder of empirical science, but the development of a scientific process resembling the modern method was developed by Muslim scholars, during the Golden age of Islam, and refined by the enlightenment scientist-philosophers”. (Shuttleworth, 2009)

Scientific method is a process of observing a problem then by observation and questioning a hypothesis will be made. The hypothesis will then be used to make predictions, test the predictions then finally test the results. The scientific method isn’t as cut and dry as the steps make it sound. The point isn’t to just test out our ideas, we want to come up with a final solution to the problem. So in the event that we go through this process disprove our own hypothesis we will start over starting at step one. Now if by testing we prove that the hypothesis is sound we still will continue forward with more testing to confirm the results we achieved. If we fail to disprove our own hypothesis then we will go forward at that point to submit a scientific paper. At this point the hypothesis will be reviewed by peers who will do as we did and test the hypothesis.

What is Western culture and how has Scientific Method changed it? Western culture is the modern culture of the Europe and North America. However, it seems to be used very vaguely as well to explain the way society may do things. For example we may use the term western culture to explain the belief system, work ethic, political, moral, and family values of society as whole. The term Western culture is also helpful to use when trying to explain the differences one may find in the United States compared to the other countries like Saudi Arabia.

“Western culture began in Ancient Greece. There and in the Roman civilization it developed until the start of the Middle Ages when it largely vanished from Europe. During the Middle Ages, Western culture resided, instead, in the Arab / Persian world to a modest degree.
Then the rediscovery of Western culture in Europe in the Late Middle Ages prompted the Renaissance. Western culture’s continuing development then led to the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and to what is considered today as modern civilization.” (What is Western Culture, 2009)

Scientific Method has made the western culture strong it gives us the platform to research, learn, test and ultimately make things better. Just speaking of the USA we are a powerhouse of a country because we strive to learn and to make things better. If a disease is plaguing our country we would put the best we have at it and Scientific Method without a doubt would be there to help us pave the way to a cure. Scientific Method has and will continue to change the western culture as long as we strive to have answers for all the things that harm us and as long as we the people strive to make things better. Scientific Method may be geared towards scientists and scholars but we all can use this method to make things better in this world. We don’t always need to take the scientific method out all the steps it has to the scholarly level. In my own personal life I have plenty of use for the scientific method as I’m sure most do. It’s a really great way to analyze issues that you may be too emotionally tied to get a clear picture on at first glance. In the end Scientific Method is a tool that will only make the people that us it stronger and gives our culture western or otherwise the chance to change our future for the better. “Western Culture has and will continue to evolve as humans continue their quest for the certainty of their observations.” (Hartnell, 2010)

References

Hartnell, G. (2010, November 23). Scientific Method and our Western Culture by Greg Hartnell. Retrieved from Stewardship for Dummies: http://stewardshipfordummies.blogspot.com/2010/11/scientific-method-and-our-western.html

Shuttleworth, M. (2009, April 23). explorable.com. Retrieved from Who Invented the Scientific Method?: https://explorable.com/who-invented-the-scientific-method?gid=1595

What is Western Culture. (2009). Retrieved from Western Culture Global: http://www.westerncultureglobal.org/what-is-western-culture.html#b1