In Defense of Science

In Defense of Science

Author: Frank R. Spellman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-08-31

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1641432519

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In an era when many in the science community feel that science is under attack, In Defense of Science explains why ordinary citizens need to have an understanding of science, its methods, and its groundbreaking discoveries. The authors debunk several misconceptions of science and scientists, and advocate that science is an integral part of society and everyday life. This book begins with an introduction to science and its basic concepts, including a brief and entertaining history of science and scientific discoveries, before taking on current views of science in society. It surveys the many sources of our ideas of science, including pop culture, classics of literature, news media, and political discourse. Much of the information from these sources tends to mislead, and the only way to guard against such misinformation is to become scientifically literate, and promote scientific literacy in society. The book therefore delves into the reasons that so many people do not understand basic scientific principles and do not keep up with scientific breakthroughs, and finishes by examining the current state of science education. It includes many resources for further reading, and is presented in an engaging and entertaining way.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Science by : Frank R. Spellman

Download or read book In Defense of Science written by Frank R. Spellman and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-08-31 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an era when many in the science community feel that science is under attack, In Defense of Science explains why ordinary citizens need to have an understanding of science, its methods, and its groundbreaking discoveries. The authors debunk several misconceptions of science and scientists, and advocate that science is an integral part of society and everyday life. This book begins with an introduction to science and its basic concepts, including a brief and entertaining history of science and scientific discoveries, before taking on current views of science in society. It surveys the many sources of our ideas of science, including pop culture, classics of literature, news media, and political discourse. Much of the information from these sources tends to mislead, and the only way to guard against such misinformation is to become scientifically literate, and promote scientific literacy in society. The book therefore delves into the reasons that so many people do not understand basic scientific principles and do not keep up with scientific breakthroughs, and finishes by examining the current state of science education. It includes many resources for further reading, and is presented in an engaging and entertaining way.

Defense of the Scientific Hypothesis

Defense of the Scientific Hypothesis

Author: Bradley Eugene Alger

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 0190881488

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Defense of Scientific Hypothesis: From Reproducibility Crisis to Big Data argues that the scientific hypothesis is the key to understanding what science is about, and explains its importance for scientists and non-scientists alike. Most scientists, like the general public, receive only cursory formal instruction about the scientific hypothesis. Since we all constantly assess what's going on around us, we continually formulate and test hypotheses, consciously and unconsciously. The book distinguishes scientific from statistical hypotheses, analyzes the benefits of hypotheses and hypothesis testing, sorts out sciences that do not require hypotheses, discusses educational and social policies relating to the hypothesis, and offers advice on recognizing and formulating hypotheses.


Book Synopsis Defense of the Scientific Hypothesis by : Bradley Eugene Alger

Download or read book Defense of the Scientific Hypothesis written by Bradley Eugene Alger and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Defense of Scientific Hypothesis: From Reproducibility Crisis to Big Data argues that the scientific hypothesis is the key to understanding what science is about, and explains its importance for scientists and non-scientists alike. Most scientists, like the general public, receive only cursory formal instruction about the scientific hypothesis. Since we all constantly assess what's going on around us, we continually formulate and test hypotheses, consciously and unconsciously. The book distinguishes scientific from statistical hypotheses, analyzes the benefits of hypotheses and hypothesis testing, sorts out sciences that do not require hypotheses, discusses educational and social policies relating to the hypothesis, and offers advice on recognizing and formulating hypotheses.

More Than Science and Sputnik

More Than Science and Sputnik

Author: Wayne J. Urban

Publisher: University of Alabama Press

Published: 2010-06-17

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 0817316914

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they believed the act was needed. --Book Jacket.


Book Synopsis More Than Science and Sputnik by : Wayne J. Urban

Download or read book More Than Science and Sputnik written by Wayne J. Urban and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2010-06-17 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: they believed the act was needed. --Book Jacket.

The Science of War

The Science of War

Author: Michael E. O'Hanlon

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-04-21

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0691157995

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The U.S. military is one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world. How it spends its money, chooses tactics, and allocates its resources have enormous implications for national defense and the economy. The Science of War is the only comprehensive textbook on how to analyze and understand these and other essential problems in modern defense policy. Michael O'Hanlon provides undergraduate and graduate students with an accessible yet rigorous introduction to the subject. Drawing on a broad range of sources and his own considerable expertise as a defense analyst and teacher, he describes the analytic techniques the military uses in every crucial area of military science. O'Hanlon explains how the military budget works, how the military assesses and deploys new technology, develops strategy and fights wars, handles the logistics of stationing and moving troops and equipment around the world, and models and evaluates battlefield outcomes. His modeling techniques have been tested in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the methods he used to predict higher-than-anticipated troop fatalities in Iraq--controversial predictions that have since been vindicated. The Science of War is the definitive resource on warfare in the twenty-first century. Gives the best introduction to defense analysis available Covers defense budgeting Shows how to model and predict outcomes in war Explains military logistics, including overseas basing Examines key issues in military technology, including missile defense, space warfare, and nuclear-weapons testing Based on the author's graduate-level courses at Princeton, Columbia, and Georgetown universities


Book Synopsis The Science of War by : Michael E. O'Hanlon

Download or read book The Science of War written by Michael E. O'Hanlon and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-21 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. military is one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world. How it spends its money, chooses tactics, and allocates its resources have enormous implications for national defense and the economy. The Science of War is the only comprehensive textbook on how to analyze and understand these and other essential problems in modern defense policy. Michael O'Hanlon provides undergraduate and graduate students with an accessible yet rigorous introduction to the subject. Drawing on a broad range of sources and his own considerable expertise as a defense analyst and teacher, he describes the analytic techniques the military uses in every crucial area of military science. O'Hanlon explains how the military budget works, how the military assesses and deploys new technology, develops strategy and fights wars, handles the logistics of stationing and moving troops and equipment around the world, and models and evaluates battlefield outcomes. His modeling techniques have been tested in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the methods he used to predict higher-than-anticipated troop fatalities in Iraq--controversial predictions that have since been vindicated. The Science of War is the definitive resource on warfare in the twenty-first century. Gives the best introduction to defense analysis available Covers defense budgeting Shows how to model and predict outcomes in war Explains military logistics, including overseas basing Examines key issues in military technology, including missile defense, space warfare, and nuclear-weapons testing Based on the author's graduate-level courses at Princeton, Columbia, and Georgetown universities

An Elegant Defense

An Elegant Defense

Author: Matt Richtel

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2019-03-12

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 0062698508

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National Bestseller "A valuable read that will help you understand what it takes to stop COVID-19. … A super interesting look at the science of immunity.” —Bill Gates, Gates Notes Summer Reading List The Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist "explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system" (Jerome Groopman, MD, New York Review of Books) From New York Times science journalist Matt Richtel, An Elegant Defense is an acclaimed and definitive exploration of the immune system and the secrets of health. Interweaving cutting-edge science with the intimate stories of four individual patients, this epic, first-of-its-kind book “give[s] lay readers a means of understanding what’s known so far about the intricate biology of our immune systems” (The Week). The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders. An Elegant Defense effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to today’s laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. Drawing on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”


Book Synopsis An Elegant Defense by : Matt Richtel

Download or read book An Elegant Defense written by Matt Richtel and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Bestseller "A valuable read that will help you understand what it takes to stop COVID-19. … A super interesting look at the science of immunity.” —Bill Gates, Gates Notes Summer Reading List The Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times journalist "explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system" (Jerome Groopman, MD, New York Review of Books) From New York Times science journalist Matt Richtel, An Elegant Defense is an acclaimed and definitive exploration of the immune system and the secrets of health. Interweaving cutting-edge science with the intimate stories of four individual patients, this epic, first-of-its-kind book “give[s] lay readers a means of understanding what’s known so far about the intricate biology of our immune systems” (The Week). The immune system is our body’s essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition—hallmarks of modern life—and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders. An Elegant Defense effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to today’s laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology—perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. Drawing on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our “elegant defense.”

The Scientific Attitude

The Scientific Attitude

Author: Lee McIntyre

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2019-05-07

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 0262039834

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An argument that what makes science distinctive is its emphasis on evidence and scientists' willingness to change theories on the basis of new evidence. Attacks on science have become commonplace. Claims that climate change isn't settled science, that evolution is “only a theory,” and that scientists are conspiring to keep the truth about vaccines from the public are staples of some politicians' rhetorical repertoire. Defenders of science often point to its discoveries (penicillin! relativity!) without explaining exactly why scientific claims are superior. In this book, Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls “the scientific attitude”—caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence. The history of science is littered with theories that were scientific but turned out to be wrong; the scientific attitude reveals why even a failed theory can help us to understand what is special about science. McIntyre offers examples that illustrate both scientific success (a reduction in childbed fever in the nineteenth century) and failure (the flawed “discovery” of cold fusion in the twentieth century). He describes the transformation of medicine from a practice based largely on hunches into a science based on evidence; considers scientific fraud; examines the positions of ideology-driven denialists, pseudoscientists, and “skeptics” who reject scientific findings; and argues that social science, no less than natural science, should embrace the scientific attitude. McIntyre argues that the scientific attitude—the grounding of science in evidence—offers a uniquely powerful tool in the defense of science.


Book Synopsis The Scientific Attitude by : Lee McIntyre

Download or read book The Scientific Attitude written by Lee McIntyre and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An argument that what makes science distinctive is its emphasis on evidence and scientists' willingness to change theories on the basis of new evidence. Attacks on science have become commonplace. Claims that climate change isn't settled science, that evolution is “only a theory,” and that scientists are conspiring to keep the truth about vaccines from the public are staples of some politicians' rhetorical repertoire. Defenders of science often point to its discoveries (penicillin! relativity!) without explaining exactly why scientific claims are superior. In this book, Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls “the scientific attitude”—caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence. The history of science is littered with theories that were scientific but turned out to be wrong; the scientific attitude reveals why even a failed theory can help us to understand what is special about science. McIntyre offers examples that illustrate both scientific success (a reduction in childbed fever in the nineteenth century) and failure (the flawed “discovery” of cold fusion in the twentieth century). He describes the transformation of medicine from a practice based largely on hunches into a science based on evidence; considers scientific fraud; examines the positions of ideology-driven denialists, pseudoscientists, and “skeptics” who reject scientific findings; and argues that social science, no less than natural science, should embrace the scientific attitude. McIntyre argues that the scientific attitude—the grounding of science in evidence—offers a uniquely powerful tool in the defense of science.

In Defense of Disciplines

In Defense of Disciplines

Author: Jerry A. Jacobs

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2014-02-05

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 022606946X

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Calls for closer connections among disciplines can be heard throughout the world of scholarly research, from major universities to the National Institutes of Health. In Defense of Disciplines presents a fresh and daring analysis of the argument surrounding interdisciplinarity. Challenging the belief that blurring the boundaries between traditional academic fields promotes more integrated research and effective teaching, Jerry Jacobs contends that the promise of interdisciplinarity is illusory and that critiques of established disciplines are often overstated and misplaced. Drawing on diverse sources of data, Jacobs offers a new theory of liberal arts disciplines such as biology, economics, and history that identifies the organizational sources of their dynamism and breadth. Illustrating his thesis with a wide range of case studies including the diffusion of ideas between fields, the creation of interdisciplinary scholarly journals, and the rise of new fields that spin off from existing ones, Jacobs turns many of the criticisms of disciplines on their heads to mount a powerful defense of the enduring value of liberal arts disciplines. This will become one of the anchors of the case against interdisciplinarity for years to come.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Disciplines by : Jerry A. Jacobs

Download or read book In Defense of Disciplines written by Jerry A. Jacobs and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-02-05 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Calls for closer connections among disciplines can be heard throughout the world of scholarly research, from major universities to the National Institutes of Health. In Defense of Disciplines presents a fresh and daring analysis of the argument surrounding interdisciplinarity. Challenging the belief that blurring the boundaries between traditional academic fields promotes more integrated research and effective teaching, Jerry Jacobs contends that the promise of interdisciplinarity is illusory and that critiques of established disciplines are often overstated and misplaced. Drawing on diverse sources of data, Jacobs offers a new theory of liberal arts disciplines such as biology, economics, and history that identifies the organizational sources of their dynamism and breadth. Illustrating his thesis with a wide range of case studies including the diffusion of ideas between fields, the creation of interdisciplinary scholarly journals, and the rise of new fields that spin off from existing ones, Jacobs turns many of the criticisms of disciplines on their heads to mount a powerful defense of the enduring value of liberal arts disciplines. This will become one of the anchors of the case against interdisciplinarity for years to come.

The Myth of the Framework

The Myth of the Framework

Author: Karl Popper

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-04-23

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 113597473X

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In a career spanning sixty years, Sir Karl Popper has made some of the most important contributions to the twentieth century discussion of science and rationality. The Myth of the Framework is a new collection of some of Popper's most important material on this subject. Sir Karl discusses such issues as the aims of science, the role that it plays in our civilization, the moral responsibility of the scientist, the structure of history, and the perennial choice between reason and revolution. In doing so, he attacks intellectual fashions (like positivism) that exagerrate what science and rationality have done, as well as intellectual fashions (like relativism) that denigrate what science and rationality can do. Scientific knowledge, according to Popper, is one of the most rational and creative of human achievements, but it is also inherently fallible and subject to revision. In place of intellectual fashions, Popper offers his own critical rationalism - a view that he regards both as a theory of knowlege and as an attitude towards human life, human morals and democracy. Published in cooperation with the Central European University.


Book Synopsis The Myth of the Framework by : Karl Popper

Download or read book The Myth of the Framework written by Karl Popper and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-04-23 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a career spanning sixty years, Sir Karl Popper has made some of the most important contributions to the twentieth century discussion of science and rationality. The Myth of the Framework is a new collection of some of Popper's most important material on this subject. Sir Karl discusses such issues as the aims of science, the role that it plays in our civilization, the moral responsibility of the scientist, the structure of history, and the perennial choice between reason and revolution. In doing so, he attacks intellectual fashions (like positivism) that exagerrate what science and rationality have done, as well as intellectual fashions (like relativism) that denigrate what science and rationality can do. Scientific knowledge, according to Popper, is one of the most rational and creative of human achievements, but it is also inherently fallible and subject to revision. In place of intellectual fashions, Popper offers his own critical rationalism - a view that he regards both as a theory of knowlege and as an attitude towards human life, human morals and democracy. Published in cooperation with the Central European University.

Science of Science and Reflexivity

Science of Science and Reflexivity

Author: Pierre Bourdieu

Publisher: Polity

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 074563060X

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Adressing a range of issues and debates in the natural and social sciences, this work provides a sociological analysis of science which enables readers to understand the social mechanisms which shape scientific practice.


Book Synopsis Science of Science and Reflexivity by : Pierre Bourdieu

Download or read book Science of Science and Reflexivity written by Pierre Bourdieu and published by Polity. This book was released on 2004 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adressing a range of issues and debates in the natural and social sciences, this work provides a sociological analysis of science which enables readers to understand the social mechanisms which shape scientific practice.

Junk Science Judo

Junk Science Judo

Author: Steven J. Milloy

Publisher: Cato Institute

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9781930865129

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This book is a simple, easy-to-read guide to debunking health scares and scams before you get hurt.


Book Synopsis Junk Science Judo by : Steven J. Milloy

Download or read book Junk Science Judo written by Steven J. Milloy and published by Cato Institute. This book was released on 2001 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a simple, easy-to-read guide to debunking health scares and scams before you get hurt.