How do we know?

1. How do we know? James A. Van Slyke

2. How do we know? • Different ways of obtaining knowledge and/or Wisdom • Science presents a specific methodology for obtaining knowledge • Unique method, but still has roots in philosophy and other disciplines

3. A little philosophy … • How do we know? • Classic terminology – epistemology • Epistemology • Justification for knowledge • Study of different methods for justification • Science > Empirical observation • Recording and observing different events • Based on experience • Related to logic

4. A little philosophy… • Classic Metaphysics • Explanations that go beyond the “physical” • Mythological • Religious • Supernatural • Example – Plato’s theory of Forms • Contemporary Definition • Metaphysics as a worldview • Overall explanation of purpose and meaning in the universe

5. Hierarchy of the Sciences • Different areas of explanation exist in a hierarchy • Different branches of science explore different areas of existence • Each level of science is its own web of theories or research programs

6. Worldview; meaning and purpose Metaphysics Anthropology Integrative Disciplines Complex Systems Sociology Psychology Biology Basic Sciences Building Blocks Chemistry Physics

7. Christian Theology Anthropology Integrative Disciplines Complex Systems Sociology Psychology Biology Basic Sciences Building Blocks Chemistry Physics

8. Understanding Science • Reduction • Empirically investigating the parts to understand the whole • Reducing problem to a manageable situation • Looking at a particular phenomenon from one level in the hierarchy of science

9. Understanding Science • Science studies natural explanations rather than supernatural explanations for events • Cannot provide a justification (pro or con) for supernatural events • Science does not make determinations based on religion or faith, but on empirical observation • The existence of God determined by metaphysics (Theology) or Faith

10. Psychology as a Science • Two contributing factors • Human physiology • Study of the nerves and tissues of the body • Originally assumed that ‘spirits’ move the body • Later demonstrated that electrical impulses move through the nerves of the body • Circulation occurs through blood flow throughout the body • Body could be studied as a ‘natural’ object • Neuroscience • Pharmacology • Stimulus and response

11. Psychology as a Science • Two contributing factors • Human Experimentation • Germany Mid to Late 1800s • Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) • Helped create the first psychology laboratory • First to look at human psychology experimentally

12. The Four Canons of Science • Determinism • Empiricism • Parsimony • Testability

13. The Four Canons of Science • Determinism- assumption that the universe is orderly. All events have meaningful, systematic causes. • Humans are very deterministic. We infer causality in almost everything. • Theories are statements about the causal relationship between two or more variables.

14. Illusory Correlation • Illusory Correlation • The perception of a relationship where none exists • When we believe two things are related, we are likely to notice and recall instances that confirm our belief

15. The Four Canons of Science • Empiricism- The best way to figure out the orderly principles of the world is to make observations.

16. Empiricism • Originally supported by Aristotle in the 300s B.C. • Really took off through the support of Descartes in the 1600s. • Became generally accepted in Philosophy by the mid-1800s as the best way to learn about the world and became one of the core assumptions of the scientific method.

17. The Four Canons of Science • Parsimony- Scientists need to be frugal in developing theories. • When two competing theories do an equally good job of explaining empirical observations, we should prefer the simpler, or more parsimonious, of the two. • Occam’s razor- principle of parsimony developed by William of Occam during the 14th century • Rube Goldberg- a comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation

18. The Four Canons of Science • Testability- Assumption that all scientific theories should be testable using currently available research techniques. • Falsifiability- idea that scientists should go beyond putting their theories to a test by seeking out tests that could prove their theories wrong. • Operational Definitions- definitions of theoretical constructs that are stated in terms of concrete, observable procedures (e.g. hunger, fear, attention, etc.).

19. Five Ways of Knowing About the World • Intuition • Logic • Authority • Revelation • Observation

20. Five Ways of Knowing About the World • Intuition- direct perception of truth independent of any known reasoning process • judgments and decisions are based on what “feels right.”

21. Five Ways of Knowing About the World • Logic- explicit reasoning that leads to sound judgement

22. Five Ways of Knowing About the World • Authority- A person who holds expertise on a particular topic or area of knowledge

23. Five Ways of Knowing About the World • Revelation- learning about something through divine intervention

24. Five Ways of Knowing About the World • Observation- learning about something through empirical testing