Changes

* Therefore, science <i>as a process</i> is not itself scientific; rather, it is philosophical.

* Therefore, science <i>as a process</i> is not itself scientific; rather, it is philosophical.

==Assumptions of science==

===Assumptions of science===

Philosophy of science depends on several philosophical beliefs:

Philosophy of science depends on several philosophical beliefs:

* Objectivity of reality:  The idea that reality is objective, independent of the observer, and can be observed objectively;

* Objectivity of reality:  The idea that reality is objective, independent of the observer, and can be observed objectively;

* Theory-dependence:  The idea that all observations depend on theoretical assumptions to frame and understand the observation;

* Theory-dependence:  The idea that all observations depend on theoretical assumptions to frame and understand the observation;

====Materialism and science====

===Materialism and science===

Some argue that materialism -- or the belief that nothing can be proven to exist except matter -- is an essential assumption of science.  However, this assumption is false for two reasons:

Some argue that materialism -- or the belief that nothing can be proven to exist except matter -- is an essential assumption of science.  However, this assumption is false for two reasons:

* Materialism has been scientifically disproven; matter has been proven to be merely one configuration of energy among many, and many other configurations of energy have no corresponding material reality;

* Materialism has been scientifically disproven; matter has been proven to be merely one configuration of energy among many, and many other configurations of energy have no corresponding material reality;

* The belief in the existence of matter ''and'' the existence of X does not preclude one from studying matter.  In other words, one's ability to observe and study the material world does not require one to deny the existence of any other, non-material reality;

* The belief in the existence of matter ''and'' the existence of X does not preclude one from studying matter.  In other words, one's ability to observe and study the material world does not require one to deny the existence of any other, non-material reality;

=== What is science? ===

== What is science? ==

The [[demarcation problem]] is the question, "What is science, and what is non-science?"

The [[demarcation problem]] is the question, "What is science, and what is non-science?"

==== Schools of thought ====

=== Schools of thought ===

There are several schools of thought regarding the [[demarcation problem]]:

There are several schools of thought regarding the [[demarcation problem]]:

* [[Positivism]], a position popular in the early 20th century and still popular in some circles today, is the idea that only facts which can be empirically observed are scientific, or for that matter, meaningful.

* [[Positivism]], a position popular in the early 20th century and still popular in some circles today, is the idea that only facts which can be empirically observed are scientific, or for that matter, meaningful.

* Thagardism, the position popularized by [[Paul Thagard]], is the idea that science includes those ideas taken seriously by the scientific community;

* Thagardism, the position popularized by [[Paul Thagard]], is the idea that science includes those ideas taken seriously by the scientific community;

==== Science as objective or subjective ====

=== Science as objective or subjective ===

The schools of thought identified above can be grouped into two broad categories: those which demarcate science in objective terms (positivism and falsificationism), and those which demarcate science in subjective terms (the remaining schools of thought).  The objective schools of thought conceptualize science as something which can be objectively identified based on independent criteria -- essentially, an idea is scientific or unscientific regardless of what anybody thinks of the matter.  The subjective schools of thought conceptualize science as ''what scientists think'' or ''what scientists do'' -- thus an idea is "scientific" if it is accepted by the "scientific community," and ceases to be scientific if it is rejected by the same community.

The schools of thought identified above can be grouped into two broad categories: those which demarcate science in objective terms (positivism and falsificationism), and those which demarcate science in subjective terms (the remaining schools of thought).  The objective schools of thought conceptualize science as something which can be objectively identified based on independent criteria -- essentially, an idea is scientific or unscientific regardless of what anybody thinks of the matter.  The subjective schools of thought conceptualize science as ''what scientists think'' or ''what scientists do'' -- thus an idea is "scientific" if it is accepted by the "scientific community," and ceases to be scientific if it is rejected by the same community.

This issue becomes important in the [[evolutionism]] vs. [[creationism]] and [[plate tectonics]] vs. [[expanding earth]] controversies.  Typically, evolutionists use arguments which assume a subjective definition of science -- creationism is unscientific because it is rejected by most scientists, or because it (supposedly) does not have peer-reviewed journals, or because it is "advanced for religious purposes."  Creationists, on the other hand, typically use arguments that assume an objective definition of science -- for example, [[common descent]] is not science, because it cannot be experimentally tested.

This issue becomes important in the [[evolutionism]] vs. [[creationism]] and [[plate tectonics]] vs. [[expanding earth]] controversies.  Typically, evolutionists use arguments which assume a subjective definition of science -- creationism is unscientific because it is rejected by most scientists, or because it (supposedly) does not have peer-reviewed journals, or because it is "advanced for religious purposes."  Creationists, on the other hand, typically use arguments that assume an objective definition of science -- for example, [[common descent]] is not science, because it cannot be experimentally tested.

[[Category: Science]]

[[Category: Science]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]