Suchergebnisse

All three of the books under review— Science and Social Science by Malcolm Williams, Rethinking Science by Jan Faye, and Open the Social Sciences by the members of the Gulbenkian Commission on the Restructuring of the Social Sciences (Immanuel Wallerstein, chair)—argue for a broadly naturalist approach in which the social sciences are seen as of a piece with the natural sciences. Fortunately, all three do so in a discriminating way that avoids simple options and that appreciates the important ways the social-scientific disciplines require their own approach. Open the Social Sciences in particular also contains detailed and wise advice as to how the contemporary social sciences should proceed if they want to fulfill their ambition to explain human social behavior in a scientific way.

'Come, then, my friends; it would be better to decide at once to come about and change our ways. We must shake off the heavy darkness in which we were plunged, and leave it behind... 'Come, then, my friends; the European game has definitely ended; we must find something different. We today can do everything, so long as we do not ape Europe, so long as we are not obsessed by the desire to catch up with Europe... . 'Two centuries ago, a former European colony set its mind on catching up with Europe. It succeeded so well at it that the United States of America became a monster, in which the taints, the sicknesses, and the inhumanity of Europe have grown to appalling dimensions... 'Today we witness the stasis of Europe. Comrades, let us flee from this motionless movement where gradually, dialectics has been changed into the logic of equilibrium. Let us reconsider the question of mankind... 'The Third World today faces Europe like a colossal mass whose aim must be to try to resolve the problems to which Europe has not been able to bring a solution... 'But if we want humanity to advance a notch higher, if we want to bring it up to a different level than that which Europe displayed, then we must invent and we must discover new ways.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to respond to Oren, Ozminkowski, and Strake's
comments on my recent article on myths about the physical sciences. All of them in my
judgment either misperceive parts of my original argument or raise concerns that allow me to
extend that argument. To the degree that others share their views, this essay may address
widespread differences of opinion or misperceptions about these matters.

This qualitative study examined how college science faculty who teach introductory level undergraduate science courses including the fields of chemistry, biology, physics, and earth science, understand and define science and nature of science (NOS). Participants were seventeen science instructors from five different institutions in the northeastern U.S. and all of them were interviewed. Consistent with previous research, the findings revealed that the participants in this study held sophisticated and complex conceptions of NOS. In some instances their views were in line with the views promoted by science philosophers, and in other instances their views were more mixed and naive. Findings show that engaging in scientific inquiry is not enough to ensure informed conceptions of NOS.