Another example is the work of Darwin, who spent half his life collecting interesting facts about animals and plants. If he had stopped there, his name might not be known today. What he did was suggest a way in which all these facts could be explained. It was an hypothesis which could be, and was, tested in every way possible. It is well known now that the theory of evolution by natural selection best explains the way the living world has come to be as we see it. Again, real science was built on a collection of facts which needed an explanation. The philosophy of science is about testing hypotheses, rather than collecting facts, though facts are the basis of all science.
Induction, the collecting of facts, is not by itself science. The philosopher Hume said it meant “instances of which we have had no experience resemble those of which we have had experience”. Later, John Stuart Mill raised the question “Why is a single instance, in some cases, sufficient for a complete induction, while in others [many examples] go such a little way towards establishing a universal proposition?” Philosophers usually think the real issue is: what distinguishes good from bad inductions? A way to say it is: "If all known "As" are "B", then "probably" all "As" whatever are "B"".
Inductive reasoning allows for a false conclusion even if all the premises are true. This is illustrated in the following example:
1. Humans exist.2. Birds also exist.3. Therefore, birds are human.
This example shows that even though all the premises are correct, the conclusion can be false.
Discussions suitable for students of philosophy can be found in the usual places, especially:
Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory was an organized territory of the United States from May 2, 1890 until November 16, 1907, when Oklahoma became the 46th state. It was made up of the western area of what is now the state of Oklahoma. The eastern area consisted of the last remaining part of Indian Territory.
Scientific theory
In everyday speech, the word "theory" is used as a "best guess". In modern science, a scientific theory is a tested and expanded hypothesis that explains many experiments. It fits ideas together in a framework. If anyone finds a case where all or part of a scientific theory is false, then that theory is either changed or thrown out.
An example of a scientific theory that underwent many changes is the germ theory of disease. In ancient times, people believed that diseases were caused by the gods, or by curses, or by improper behavior. Germs (microorganisms) were unknown, because germs are too small to see. With the invention of the microscope, germs were discovered, and the germ theory of disease was proposed. Thanks to the germ theory of disease, many diseases can now be cured. However, the germ theory of disease had to be modified, because some diseases are not caused by germs. The flu and scurvy are examples of diseases that are not caused by bacteria, but viruses or poor nutrition. Scientists modified the germ theory of disease, so that today we would state that theory as "Some diseases are caused by germs".
To be a scientific theory, a theory must be tested a large number of times, by different scientists in different places, and must pass the test every time. The theory must be stated exactly, sometimes using mathematics. And it must fit in with all of the other scientific theories. Science has many branches. Physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy are some of the major branches of science. A scientific theory in one branch of science must hold true in all of the other branches of science. For example, the atomic theory of matter, that all matter is made up of atoms, was discovered using physics, but the chemicals used in chemistry, the living tissue used in biology, the rocks studied in geology, and the planets studied in astronomy are all made up of atoms. The atomic theory of matter holds in every area of science.
Sometimes scientists come up with a theory that is wrong. The discovery of an exception to a scientific theory is a major event, and a scientist can become famous by discovering an exception to a rule. Einstein became famous for his theory of relativity, which found an exception to Isaac Newton's laws of motion. Newton's theory, which had been accepted for hundreds of years, had to be changed, and has been changed.
Here is a list of some of the major theories of modern science. These theories have been tested thousands of times, and no exception has been found.
Marin-Epagnier
Marin-Epagnier is a former municipality in the district of Neuchâtel in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. In 1888, the formerly independent municipality merged with Epagnier and Marin to form Marin-Epagnier. On 1 January 2009, the former municipalities of Marin-Epagnier and Thielle-Wavre joined together and became the new municipality of La Tène.
It lies at the northeastern tip of Lake Neuchâtel close to Biel, at the boundary between French- and German-speaking regions, and at a knot of highways.
The Iron Age archaeological site of La Tène is within Marin-Epagnier's communal boundaries. "(See also La Tène culture.)" La Tène is a village at the eastern end of the Lake Neuchâtel (Lac de Neuchâtel), a lake in Switzerland. La Tène has a sandy beach, unique in Switzerland.
Magdalenenberg
Magdalenenberg is the name for a tumulus grave. It dates from the Iron Age. It lies at the southwestern tip of the Black Forest, in Germany. The nobleman who is buried there was part of the Hallstatt culture. With a volume of 33.000 cubic metres it is the biggest grave from that time in Central Europe.
Sacred Cenote
Sacred Cenote (Well of Sacrifice) is a well known cenote at the Maya site of Chichen Itza. One can access it by a 900 foot paved corridor that leads from the Great Plaza. The Sacred Cenote was used for human sacrifices to the rain god Chaac in periods of drought.
Cenote
A cenote is a type of sinkhole that contains groundwater. It is typical in the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula and some nearby Caribbean islands. The term comes from a word used by the lowland Yucatec Maya to refer to any location where groundwater can be got at.
Cenotes are surface connections to underground water bodies. While the most well-known cenotes are large open water pools measuring tens of metres in diameter, such as those at Chichén Itzá, most cenotes are smaller sheltered sites and do not necessarily have any surface exposed water. The term cenote has also been used to describe similar karst features in other countries such as Cuba and Australia, in addition to the more generic term of sinkholes.
Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water infiltrating slowly through the ground. The groundwater flow rate within a cenote may be very slow at velocities ranging from 1 to 1000 meters per year. Cenotes around the world attract cave divers. They have explored extensive flooded cave systems, some of which have been investigated for 100 kilometers or more.
Cenotes in or near the Yukatán may have been caused by the Chicxulub meteor impact 60 million years ago.
Yucatán Peninsula:
Central and Northern Region:
Monkton, Kent
Monkton is an English village on the Canterbury-Ramsgate road. It is at the southwestern edge of the Isle of Thanet, Kent near St Nicholas at Wade and Minster-in-Thanet. The church there is dedicated to Mary Magdalene. Inside the Church is a plaque, commemorating a local soldier, Euncie Rochelle, who died in the Iraq war. Monkton is no longer thought of as a village in its own right and is usually assumed to be part of neighbouring village Minster-in-Thanet.