Book contents
- Understanding Science
- Reviews
- Understanding Science
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- 1What’s So Special about Science?
- 2Observation-Driven Science
- 3Hypothesis-Driven Science: Falsificationism
- 4Hypothesis-Driven Science: Limitations and Alternatives
- 5Paradigm-Driven Science
- 6Science as a Social Activity
- 7Synthesis
- 8Science in Practice: Publishing
- 9Science in Practice: Data
- 10Science in Practice: Academia
- 11Epilogue
- References
- Index
1 - What’s So Special about Science?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 February 2026
Book contents
- Understanding Science
- Reviews
- Understanding Science
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- 1What’s So Special about Science?
- 2Observation-Driven Science
- 3Hypothesis-Driven Science: Falsificationism
- 4Hypothesis-Driven Science: Limitations and Alternatives
- 5Paradigm-Driven Science
- 6Science as a Social Activity
- 7Synthesis
- 8Science in Practice: Publishing
- 9Science in Practice: Data
- 10Science in Practice: Academia
- 11Epilogue
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter contains a first formulation of the question ‘What is science?’, followed by a brief treatment of realism vs. antirealism and an introduction to how observations can be made more trustworthy. The theory-dependence of ‘facts’ and the resulting fallibility of observations are introduced - how scientific findings can turn out to be wrong. A first brief treatment of how science is used and misused in society is also included as a stepping stone to why some understanding of the philosophy of science matters to everybody.
Information
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- Chapter
- Information
- Understanding ScienceThe Web of Trust, pp. 1 - 11Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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