Notes

Finding your way in God's world
What is science?
- what science is not....
-a source of settled truth (final answer)
-A progression toward the correct view of the world
-completely objective (not influenced by others) (i.e kimchee)
-always based on direct observations
the limitation of science
1. must deal with things that are observable, testable, and repeatable
2.cannot make a value or moral judgment
-value --> good vs bad (your decision)
-moral --> right vs wrong (doesn't come from your decision, shouldn't be made by public opinion, should be made by God)
3. cannot make a universal statement (100%) or establish truth (absolute)
4.man is biased and his senses can be fooled
-optical illusions
So what is science then?
-the collection of man's observations, inferences, and models produced by a systematic study of the physical world
- the systematic methods that produce these observations, inferences, and models
Why is science so important then?
-benefit mankind
-technology
-satisfy curiosity
-solve a problem
-learn about our creator
-creation mandate - genesis 1:26-28
What's the Bible got to do w/ science?
-presuppositions
-an idea or statement assumed to be true that is used as the basis for proving other things
-worldview (paradigm)
-the outlook/ view point from which a person interprets life and its events
-based on your presuppositions
-presuppositions of a Christian worldview
-foundation: the bible as god's word is true
1.god made the world and placed humans at the center of that world genesis1:1,26
2. the world has fallen into a broken condition because of human sin (gen 3)
3.god is working to redeem this world to himself (john 3:16)
The world's view of science
-secular
-free from religious influence
-scientism
-belief that the only things we can know with confidence are the things we learn through scientific study
-science will lead to truth
-pseudoscience
-false science
-sounds like science but makes conclusions or statements that are outside science
What about stuff we cant see?
-model
-anything that is a simplified depiction of a far more complex object or concept
-characteristics of a good model
1. they should help us make predictions
2.organize our prediction
3. should accurately describe current data
4. should be easy or simple to use
The structure of science
-hypothesis
-educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or idea (based on somebody else thinking)
-theory
-a partially verified idea that explains observations
-law
-a simple statement, often expressed as a mathematical equation, that describes a consistent pattern or relationship in nature
The 2 types of science
-theoretical: involves research to discover new facts about the natural world
-applied: being used; involves research to discover new ways to benefit mankind
The 2 branches of physical science
-physics: the study of matter and energy and how they interact
-chemistry: the study of structure, composition, and properties of matter and how It reacts
Scientific Methodology
-a systematic method for solving problems ordering thinking
1.ask a question
2. conduct preliminary research
3. Form a hypothesis
-Reasonable and testable
-Initial Research
-Best stated in the negative form
-Stay as simple as possible
4. test the answer
-collect data- data mining, collections, surveys, trial and error, opportunities, controlled experiments
-2types of data: quantitative- numbers & qualitative- descriptive
-classify and analyze
-controlled experiment setup
-experimental variable- the factor (treatment) that is manipulated in order to cause a change- should be only one (color of light)
-control variables - factors that remain constant in every group
-control group- group(s) that doesn't receive the treatment (EV)
-experimental group(s)- group(s) where the treatment is given (EV has been changed)
5. verify
6. check the answer
7. report conclusion
-Relates to the hypothesis
-account for the data
-predict new data
-stay simple
8. publish results