The Great Paradox of Science Why Its Conclusions Can Be Relied Upon Even Though They Cannot Be Proven

Science has revolutionized our lives and continues to show inexorable progress. It may seem obvious that this must be because its theories are steadily getting better and approaching the truth about the world. After all, what could science be progressing toward, if not the truth? But scholarship in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science offers little support for such a sanguine view.

Those opposed to specific conclusions of the scientific community-nonbelievers in vaccinations, climate change, and evolution for example-have been able to use a superficial understanding of the nature of science to sow doubt about the scientific consensus in those areas, leaving the general public confused as to whom to trust, with damaging effects for the health of individuals and the planet.

In The Great Paradox of Science, Mano Singham argues that to better counter such anti-science efforts requires us to understand the nature of science knowledge at a much deeper level and dispel many myths and misconceptions. It is the use of scientific logic, the characteristics of which are elaborated on in the book, that enables the scientific community to arrive at reliable consensus judgments in which the public can retain a high degree of confidence. This scientific logic is applicable not just in science but can be used in all areas of life. Whether they be scientists, policymakers, or members of the general public, readers will not only better understand why science works so well without invoking ideas of truth as a measure, they will also acquire the tools they need to make sound, rational decisions in every area of their lives. Scientists, policymakers, and members of the general public will not only better understand why science works, they will also acquire the tools they need to make sound, rational decisions in all areas of their lives.

Mano Singham is Retired Director of the University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education (UCITE) and Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics at Case Western Reserve University. He received his undergraduate degree in physics with First Class Honors from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka and my MS and PhD degrees in theoretical nuclear physics from the University of Pittsburgh. Since then, he has held research and faculty positions at the University of Colombo, University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the University of Rochester before spending nearly the last three decades at Case Western Reserve University, where he recently retired as the director of the university's teaching center. In addition to research in physics, he has also taught courses in physics and the history and philosophy of science.

Introduction

PART ONE: Why understanding the nature of science is important
1. Did dinosaurs have tea parties?
2. The traps of scientific history
3. Misconceptions about the methodology and epistemology of science
4. What is the goal of science?
5. The power of scientific theories and the problem of induction

PART TWO: Case study of the age of the Earth
6. What the age of the Earth reveals about how science progresses
7. What we learn about science from the study of the age of the Earth

PART THREE: Science and true knowledge
8. A brief history on the search for true knowledge
9. The role of doubt and faith in science
10. The basic features of science

PART FOUR: The nature of scientific logic
13. Truth in mathematics and science
14. The burden of proof in scientific and legal systems
15. Proof by logical contradiction
16. The role of negative evidence in establishing universal claims
17. Dark matter, dark energy, string theory, and the multiverse

PART FIVE: Resolving the Great Paradox
18. How scientists choose between competing theories
19. Why some scientific controversies never die
20. How science evolves and the Great Paradox of science
21. The three trees of scientific knowledge
22. Resolving the Great Paradox

Supplementary Material
Acknowledgments
References