Scientific method

The **scientific method** is the system by which data is gathered, analyzed and verified in science. It serves as the very backbone of science as a whole, and has allowed for the development of every valid scientific theory.

## Definition

In a nutshell, the scientific method involves collecting and observing data, hypothesizing about how those data relates to a cause, performing an experiment to test the hypothesis, analyzing the results, and adjusting the hypothesis based on the analysis. Although, to some, this definition is rather simplistic, it will serve to be used in defining the basics of what the scientific method is. The following example will give a better idea of the scientific method in action:

1. Let us assume for one moment that our convenient stand-in for this demonstration is a zoologist working to understand a certain behaviour in prairie dogs.
2. He begins his analysis by observing the prairie dogs and taking notes of their behaviour. Let's say this behaviour is a strange sort of contagious action in which it rears up and emits a high-pitched squeak. This behaviour travels through the entire colony. Con observes this behaviour and notices a specific pattern: over time, he notices that the instigator of these "jump-yips" spends can allocate more time to foraging.
3. After observing this a few more times, he begins to construct a model to fit the available data. He suggests that these "jump-yips" serve as a signal periodically emitted by prairie dogs who are keeping watch, hence how the instigator can spend more time foraging. This behaviour would not be surprising, considering the complexity of prairie dog "language".

You may find it interesting to know that this is not some fictitious example, but rather one based on solid facts. The researcher in question is Con Slobodchikoff, founder of the Animal Language Institute. You can read more about his findings here. The point is, this is a demonstration of the scientific method, which, in short, can be boiled down to a simple phrase: "test, test, and test again".

## Theory

The colloquial use of the word "theory" has the same definition as the scientific use of the word "hypothesis": a simple deduction based on a small pool of data. In science, however, there is a distinction to be made: a theory, according to the Field Museum, is defined as:

> A carefully thought-out explanation for observations of the natural world that has been constructed using the scientific method, and which brings together many facts and hypotheses.
>
> Field Museum

This is one of the critical misunderstandings of the scientific method found among the general public, and one which mistakenly gives creationist views a foothold. The Theory of Evolution is not a theory in the sense of a hypothesis, but in the sense that it is the model that best fits our understanding.

## Differentiating pseudoscience

Pseudoscience does not fulfill the criteria dictated by the scientific method. Pseudoscience is typically thought of as making unscientific claims, with or without scientific evidence, which have not been properly tested or retested, and therefore are false. Examples of pseudoscientific notions are untestable theories and those which directly oppose the data. Homoeopathy, astrology and the concept of intelligent design are, by definition, examples of both pseudoscience and belief systems. Examples of pseudoscientists to avoid are palaeoartist David Peters and Deepak Chopra.

Pseudoscience is dangerous, both to the education system and individual people. Alternative medicines, for example, leave one with not only the illness they originally had, but also the possible side-effects of whatever they were taking for it. Another, related example of dangerous pseudoscience is the aforementioned homeopathy, which quite literally amounts to constantly diluting something which may work into water until nothing remains. In a particularly famous case, skeptic James Randi took a supposedly fatal dose of homeopathic sleeping pills in front of a live audience, only to experience nothing whatsoever. These methods are *dangerous*. Another example is the abuse of Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin as promoted by the american neoconservative right. Studies have shown that neither medications cure Covid-19, with most brands of Ivermectin being exclusively for animal use.