Chemistry-1Name :
Worksheet : Limitations of science and Scientific "truth" and obj. 1-2.Date :
A. Background : There are different ways of knowing things. Science is just one of them. This worksheet is designed to get you to think about science as one of the ways of knowing. Do your best to answer the questions correctly (I realize we have not spent much time on this yet). Answer true (+), false (0), or sometimes true(=).
_____ 1. Scientific truth is obtained only through direct observation.
_____ 2. Scientific truth is absolute, meaning it can never change.
_____ 3. Science is the only way of knowing things.
_____ 4. Science is primarily based on intuition.
_____ 5. Science can always prove whose opinion is correct.
_____ 6. Science can determine whether God exists or not.
_____ 7. Scientific truth is usually stated as laws or theories.
_____ 8. Scientific truth can be stated as a hypothesis.
_____ 9. All knowledge can eventually be obtained through science and the scientific method.
_____ 10. Science can determine which color is best for a person's living room.
_____ 11. Science can only find out about things which are observable.
_____ 12. All scientific knowledge is based on information obtained through the senses.
B. Evaluate the following statement (State if you agree or disagree with the statement and state why you agree or
disagree). The quotes below may be used to stimulate thought.
“Science is the only way to acquire true knowledge of reality.”
Quotes for thought only :
Some future day may yet arrive when all reasonable chemical experiments run to discover a probable origin for life have failed unequivocally. Further, new geological evidence may indicate a sudden appearance of life on earth. Finally, we may have explored the universe and found no trace of life, or processes leading to life, elsewhere. In such a case, some scientists might choose to turn to religion for an answer. Others, myself included, would attempt to sort out the surviving less probable scientific explanations in the hope of selecting one that was still more likely than the remainder.”
Robert Shapiro, Origins : A Skeptic’s Guide to Creation of Life on Earth
“Science, fundamentally is a game. It is a game with one overriding and defining rule :
Rule No. 1 : Let us see how far and to what extent we can explain the behavior of the physical and material universe in terms of purely physical and material causes, without invoking the supernatural.”
Richard Dickerson, Journal of Molecular Evolution (over)
C. Read pp. 7-11 and do the following :
- Define chemistry :
- Define the following :
- pure chemistry
b. applied chemistry
- Give an example of each :
a. pure chemistry –
b. applied chemistry –
3. List five major areas of chemistry and describe each :