The Nature of Scientific Inquiry: An Overview

Section role: supports the 'The Nature of Scientific Inquiry' section while the teacher delivers a structured presentation explaining the fundamental characteristics of science. Slides: (1) Title — 'What Makes Knowledge Scientific?' with a visual contrast between objective and subjective knowledge, building on Section 1's discussion; (2) Defining Science — bullet points: process of using evidence, constructing testable explanations, self-correcting nature; (3) Empirical Evidence — definition: information acquired by observation or experimentation, example of empirical data in scientific studies; (4) The Demarcation Problem — defining pseudoscience, contrasting Astronomy with Astrology as specific examples of scientific vs. pseudoscientific claims; (5) Falsifiability — introduction to Karl Popper's concept, explanation that a scientific claim must be testable and able to be proven wrong; (6) Falsifiability Examples — a claim that is falsifiable (e.g., 'All swans are white') vs. a claim that is not (e.g., 'Invisible fairies exist'); (7) Scientific Theory vs. Law — defining scientific law as describing 'what' happens (e.g., Law of Gravity) and scientific theory as explaining 'why' (e.g., Theory of General Relativity); (8) Common Misconceptions — addressing the phrase 'It's just a theory' by clarifying that scientific theories are well-substantiated and extensively tested explanations; (9) Limitations of Science — science cannot answer questions of morality, ethics, or the supernatural; (10) Closing slide: 'How do empirical evidence and falsifiability help us evaluate claims about the world?' — sets up the 'Demarcation Lab' activity in Section 3 where students will apply these criteria.