In this Episode, I discuss some systematic ways in which discoveries are made in science. This follows on from Episode 13 (A, B) which introduced thought and real experiments. In this Episode I look at methods - systematic ways - to go about scientific discoveries. There are three methods: two different forms of induction and deduction. Induction works either by inferring from some to all cases (from 'some ravens are black' to 'all ravens are black') or by the method of elimination. To illustrate the latter method I compare the work of a scientist who tries to solve problems, to the work of a detective who tries to solve a crime. The detective tries to eliminate potential suspects to identify the real culprit. The scientist tries to eliminate possible solutions to find the real solution to a scientific problem. In between the two methods stands deductivism: according to this method a scientist makes a hypothesis - a bold conjecture - and then submits it to rigorous tests.

Literature:

I discuss these methods in more detail in Friedel Weinert, Copernicus, Darwin & Freud (2009) and Karl Popper-Professional Philosopher and Public Intellectual (2022).