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Scientific Knowledge

Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence from observations and inferences about the natural world, providing a limited understanding of other ways of knowing like art or religion. Observations are descriptive statements that can be directly observed by senses, while inferences are about phenomena that cannot be directly observed. Scientific knowledge involves both empirical and theoretical aspects. Empirical knowledge comes from observations and experiments, used to describe and predict phenomena. Theoretical knowledge is based on concepts of the unseen and is used to describe, predict, and explain phenomena. Theoretical work typically follows and builds upon empirical work and evidence.

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67 views9 pages

Scientific Knowledge

Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence from observations and inferences about the natural world, providing a limited understanding of other ways of knowing like art or religion. Observations are descriptive statements that can be directly observed by senses, while inferences are about phenomena that cannot be directly observed. Scientific knowledge involves both empirical and theoretical aspects. Empirical knowledge comes from observations and experiments, used to describe and predict phenomena. Theoretical knowledge is based on concepts of the unseen and is used to describe, predict, and explain phenomena. Theoretical work typically follows and builds upon empirical work and evidence.

Uploaded by

Kaye Bernardooo
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Scientific

Knowledge
Scientific Knowledge
• Based on empirical evidence and is approaching
for understanding the natural world, but it
provides only a limited understanding of the
supernatural, aesthetic, or other ways of
knowing, such as art, philosophy, or religion.
• Developed from combination of both
observations and inferences.
Observations and Inferences
•Observations are descriptive statements
about the natural phenomena that are
directly accesible to the senses (or an
extension of the senses) and about which
several observers can reach consensus with
relative ease.
•Inferences are statements about phenomena
that are not directly accesible to the senses.
Characteristics of Empirical and Theoretical
Knowledge
Scientific Characteristics
Knowledge
Empirical • Based on observations and experiment
• Used to describe and predict phenomenon
• Communicated by qualitative and
quantitative descriptions, empirical
hypotheses, empirical definitions,
generalizations and scientific laws
Scientific Characteristics
Knowledge
Theoretical • Based on ideas/concepts of the
unseen
• Used to describe, predict and
explain phenomenon
• Communicated by qualitative and
quantitative descriptions,
theoretical hypotheses, theoretical
definitions, and theories.
Empirical Concept Theoretical Concept
Conservation of mass Conservation of atoms (Dalton,
(Lavoisier, 1770s) 1805)
Conservation of momentum Particle repulsion (Van der Waals,
(Wallis, 1668) 1873)
Gas laws (Boyle, 1662 & Kinetic molecular theory (Maxwell,
Charles, 1787) 1860)
Faraday's laws (Faraday, 1832) Electrochemical theory (Debye,1923)
Periodic law (Mendeleev Bohr model of atom(1913)
Stoichiometry (Richter, 1792) Mole ratio (after Avogadro, >1856)
Definite composition (Proust, Atomic theory (Dalton, 1805)
1799)
Multiple Proportions Valence Theory (Pauling, 1928+)
(Berthollet, 1799+)
Empirical and Theoretical Ways of
Knowing
Empirical way - characterized by a
dependence on experiment and
experience.
Theoretical way - characterized by
thinking about entities and actions that
are not visible to the human eye.
Empirical stream of work(typically ahead) Theoretical stream of work(typical behind,
in time)
empirical descriptions based on theoretical concepts based on ideas about
observations and communicated as the invisible (to explain the evidence)
evidence, tables, and graphs · theoretical definitions
· theoretical hypotheses
· theoreticalgeneralizations
· theoretical models
empirical concepts (from the evidence) theoretical descriptions (from the
· empirical definitions concepts), for example,
· empirical hypotheses · according to the Bohr model of the atom,
· empirical generalizations a carbon atom has four valence electrons
· empirical models
· scientific laws
References
• https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html

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