What (and why) is everyday science?
The “Everyday-Science” site came about in order to remove
some of the mystery and awe that seems to surround science. Too
many people seem to think that science is some complex thing that only
a person with a string of degrees can do or understand. But I
claim that what science really is, what has made it so successful, is
actually a fairly simple approach that anyone can (and should!) use in
their daily lives. Here goes…
The “secret” behind science’s success is the
scientific method. You probably have heard about it many times
before. It is deceptively simple: Come up with an idea
(hypothesis), collect information about the idea, test it and revise as
needed.
There is nothing all that special about coming up with ideas.
People do that all the time. Just go into bar at happy hour and
in short order you can hear enough ideas to make your head spin.
Collecting data is a bigger deal. Not that it is all that
difficult, but it is hard work which many people are unwilling to
do. (I have heard it said that creativity is 1% inspiration, 99%
perspiration. I think this also applies to science).
But the real key to the success of science is the testing and
revision. Testing means looking for mistakes. That is,
looking for things that indicate that your original idea was wrong or
needs some improvement. This is so important because it is the
opposite of what most people do when they have a pet idea.
Usually they look for vindication: facts which indicate that their
original guess may be correct rather than facts which prove them
wrong. But finding and fixing errors is the only way one makes
any improvements. This is why science keeps advancing while
nonscientific approaches usually stay stuck back at the starting gate.
The problem with only looking for confirmation of your ideas instead of
errors is readily apparent. One can make the most outrageous
claims and be able to find some supporting evidence. A classic
example is the German Nazi party’s declaration of Jews as being
subhuman. Much effort to prove this was made by such methods as
making skull dimension measurements. Completely ignored was ample
evidence such as the many caring humanitarians among Jews (even Hitler
admitted that Jews were often the best medical doctors) and the
undeniable brilliance among others (such as Albert Einstein). The
tragedy which resulted from this willingness to ignore contradictory
evidence is well known.
But this method is not just about chemistry or biology or other areas
people think of as science. It applies just as much to what we
think of as ordinary work: teaching, newspaper editor, programmer,
etc. Anyone who uses the scientific method to solve problems
qualifies as a true scientist. Take for example a good automobile
mechanic, who may not even have a high school degree. He may be
faced with trying to fix a car that will not start: turn the key, but
nothing happens. His first guess (his scientific hypothesis) is
that the battery is dead, so he checks that (gathering data and
testing hypothesis). The battery looks good, so his next guess is
that the starter is bad (changing the hypothesis based on facts).
He continues on until he has found and fixed the problem. Doing
this, he is every bit as much a scientist as anyone who has ever
received a Nobel prize in science.
Most of us even use the scientific approach in our everyday lives
without realizing it. For example: How did you learn not to
touch a hot stove (especially one that did not look hot)? If you
are like me, your mother told you not to touch the stove, but you did
anyway. If you are like me, but smarter, you may have put your
hand close to the stove without actually touching it. Either way,
what you did was perform an experiment: you tested both whether the
stove was actually hot and whether you could trust what your mother
told you. You probably did this sort of theory testing many times
over the years without even thinking about it. You learned both
what was real and how much you could trust what people told you.
Science: don’t be afraid of it, use it today!