Self-consistent
Consistency
refers to the absence of contradiction within a scientific theory.
Testability
Testability
means that empirical facts that can be explained or predicted can be deduced
from the constructed scientific theory system, which is the minimum necessary
condition that scientific theory must meet.
Scientific
explanation
One
of the two major functions of scientific theory.
Explanation is to reveal the nature of
things being. The scientific explanation of an objective thing comes down to a
comprehensive analysis of the relations between the various essence of reality
and a comprehensive reproduction of the explained object on the basis of the
analysis.
The types of scientific explanation
include causation explanation, probability explanation, structure explanation,
function explanation, origin explanation and so on.
Scientific foresight
One
of the two major functions of scientific theory.
Prevision is the
logical deduction of an unknown fact from a theory.
The reliability and correctness
of scientific foresight, in the possible range, is the result of the theory
revealing the essence of the object.
Scientific
observation
Scientific
observation is purposeful and active observation under the guidance of certain
ideas or theories. Scientific observation method is one of the important means
to obtain perceptual material about the research object.
Scientific
experiments
Scientific
experiment is a method by which people, according to certain research purposes,
use scientific instruments and equipment to artificially control or simulate
natural phenomena, so that the natural process or production process can be
presented in a pure and typical form, so as to observe and study under
favorable conditions.
Model test
Model
experiment is to design the model which is similar to the object or the natural
phenomenon, simulate the prototype with them, and study the nature and
characteristics of the prototype indirectly through the experiment of the
model.
Observability
The
term "observable" refers to the characteristics of any phenomena
directly observable in People's Daily experience, and empirical laws are laws
about observable phenomena.
Scientific
discoveries
Scientific
discovery is the revelation of unknown things or laws in scientific activities,
mainly including the discovery of facts and the proposal of theories.
Reduction analysis
method
The
essence of logical positivist, one of the core of
modern empiricism.
In order to carry out
the principle of empirical verification, it is necessary to find a way to
reduce the theory to experience, so we use mathematical logic to reduce the
scientific propositions and programs to the initial propositions and terms,
that is, the empirical basis, so as to find the means of empirical verification
of all scientific propositions.
Think outside the box
Divergent
thinking refers to the thinking with highly active and open character in
scientific thinking.
Convergent thinking
Convergent
thinking refers to the thinking which is based on traditional consistency and
subject to a series of norms in scientific thinking.
Talk knowledge
According
to M. Polanyi, a British philosopher, human knowledge falls into two
categories. What is usually described as knowledge, that is, what is expressed
in written language, in diagrams, or in mathematical formulas, is only one kind
of knowledge, that is, verbal knowledge.
Verbal knowledge,
represented as conceptualized words, has a clear logical character that allows
us to think critically about it.
Intentional knowledge
According
to M. Polanyi, a British philosopher, human knowledge falls into two
categories. Knowledge that is not systematically elaborated is called tacit
knowledge.
Intentional knowledge
is expressed as the activity of experiencing. The biggest characteristic is
that it is not divorced from the subject of cognition, and is relatively lack
of publicity and objectivity. Human body and mind are the tools to reach the
will, so it is also called individual knowledge. Intentional knowledge is the
source of all knowledge.
Probability of
hypothesis
The
probability of a hypothesis is when there is good reason for a hypothesis, but
it has not been tested. This is a guess worth considering further, because it has
some plausibility before it has been tested.
Intuitive thinking
In
scientific findings, the main form of subconscious activity is intuition.
Intuitive thinking can be understood as a reduction of reasoning. Intuitive
thinking recognizes and guesses the whole, and draws conclusions all at once.
Intuitive insight is
to make a qualitative leap at a certain juncture on the basis of long-term
meditation and through quantitative accumulation.
The opportunities
Opportunity
is a chance that is transformed into a necessary condition. Accidental
encounters. There are two reasons why scientific cognition is supposed
to achieve inevitability, but it is often acted on by chance objectively. One
is the complexity of the process of scientific cognition, and it is impossible
for people to follow a predetermined route to reach the expected goal. The
second is that the necessity of the development of objective things is always
realized through chance.
Inspiration
In
scientific discovery, the special emotional experience that occurs at the
climax of the creative process is inspiration. Inspiration is a state of mind.
Inspiration belongs to the unconscious activity.
Thinking stylized
One
of the basic goals of scientific methodology research is to establish a
relatively stable tool system for scientific cognition. The more formulaic the
method, the easier it is to master and the more effective it will be.
Humans have been
putting more and more things into the stylized orbit in order to get their
minds out of it and solve tasks that, at least not yet, can't be stylized.
"Anything
goes"
Feyerabend, an American
philosopher of science, believed that the only principle that does not hinder
the progress of science is: whatever goes. The world we seek to explore is
primarily an unknown entity, so we must keep our options open. Sooner or later,
adhering to a certain method or formula prevents people from making effective
scientific discoveries. In this sense, it is an important principle of scientific
methodology to oppose adhering to certain methods and procedures.
