Foundations of Natural Science: Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Method

Metaphysical Foundations of Science

The metaphysical presuppositions tend to identify reality with the cosmos (meaning nature, universe, etc.). Therefore, reality in nature is either nonexistent or irrelevant to scientific knowledge, because we observe that natural phenomena always have natural causes, whether known or not. This cosmos is ordered, so that its phenomena always happen the same way, or in a similar way: the same causes produce the same effects.

Epistemological Assumptions

The epistemological assumptions of the natural sciences are:

• The order of the cosmos can be known and described mathematically.
• The truth or falsehood of this description is established and proven by observation and experimentation.
• The mathematical description of natural phenomena allows prediction.
• This description is objective: "It is true, i.e., it corresponds to the facts."
• Scientific knowledge is not influenced by the prejudices or interests of the people who develop it.
• Because it is demonstrable by observation and experiment, and because it is objective, scientific knowledge is valid, meaning it is universal.

The Scientific Method: Hypothesis and Experiment

Hypothesis Definition and Role

Hypotheses are the guesses we propose as a response to scientific problems. Their main function is to orient research toward the variables or causes needed to explain what we are analyzing. The formulation of hypotheses and the design of experiments to test them is the most creative aspect of scientific research, often approximating art. It requires much research and ingenuity to imagine.

The truth of a hypothesis is rarely established simply by contrasting it with observable facts. Things tend to be far more complicated, and checking the truth usually requires the completion of multiple experiments.

The Nature of Scientific Experiments

We define an experiment as a fact that we can repeat, whose variables we can control, and which determines the truth or falsity of the investigated hypothesis.

Characteristics of an experiment:

• It must be repeatable, as this is the basis of scientific demonstration. To show something scientifically is to show others (in principle, to all) the facts that support the hypothesis. But only facts that can be repeated can be shown.
• In the experiment, we control the variables that the hypothesis deems relevant to explain the investigated phenomenon.

Verification

When the experiment supports the truth of the hypothesis, we have a case of verification. The logical pattern of the verification argument is:

1. If the hypothesis (H) were true, then such things (C) would pass.
2. Such things (C) pass.
3. Therefore, the hypothesis is true (H).

Falsification

When the experiment refutes the truth of the hypothesis, we have a case of falsification. Its scheme is:

1. If the hypothesis (H) were true, then such things (C) would pass.
2. Such things (C) do not pass.
3. Therefore, the hypothesis is false (H).