Science is a tool, a particular way of investigating a question. When exploring a scientific question, a hypothesis is made, data are collected, and, in the end, the hypothesis is either supported or refuted.
And scientists aren't afraid of being wrong. Having hypotheses disproved is part of the scientist's job. In order to find true answers about life and the world around us, it is necessary to eliminate the possibilities that have no scientific merit.
Steps of the Scientific Method
Scientific Question: Scientists must begin by asking a question. The questions that scientists pose are vital, in that they determine the direction that scientific exploration and discovery take.
Gather Information and Form Hypothesis: The scientist then gathers enough information to form a hypothesis. A hypothesis is not a question, but an educated guess or prediction.
Develop Procedure and Conduct Experiment: The next step is to create and conduct an experiment to test the hypothesis. The experiment must be carefully designed so that it tests only one variable. A variable is the factor that is measured or manipulated in an experiment.
Organize Observations and Write a Report: Scientific findings must then be organized and documented so that they are readable and make sense to others. Based on the experimental results, the scientist must reach a conclusion based on whether the hypothesis was supported or refuted.
Scientific Verification: Scientists share their experimental designs and findings with other researchers. Investigators can learn from each other and will often use another scientist's findings to guide their own questions for further research.
Researchers will sometimes repeat the experiments of other investigators to see if those results hold up to additional testing. This process is called independent duplication, a type of verification that functions as a quality control measure to eliminate bias.
Results are also subjected to scientific verification when published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scientific journals publish articles only after they have been checked for quality by several experts, objective scientists from different institutions.
What Is Nonscience?
Nonscience is the collection of perspectives that are outside the realm of scientific examination. Subjects of nonscience are usually easily separated from science, and include art, values, creativity, and spirituality, just to name a few. These aspects of life are, for many, essential aspects of human existence.
So, How Does Pseudoscience Fit into the Picture?
It is when nonscience tries to pose as science that we run into trouble. Pseudoscience is when claims are made that can be tested scientifically, but are not.
Religion sometimes poses as pseudoscience when people try to promote religious belief as scientifically established fact. This type of argument is sometimes made in cases where science doesn't yet have the answers, then, for those who promote a pseudoscientific view of religion, the only possible alternate explanation is God.
But not to pick on religion, there are many other forms of pseudoscience, from the "snake oil" salesmen of the past to UFO sightings and ghostly hauntings; none of which have, thus far, stood up to scientific scrutiny.
About the Image
The Meissner effect causes a magnet to levitate above a high-temperature superconductor. Taken by Mai-Linh Doan and found on Wikipedia.
