Paul - Mario Pagliaro's blog

From Mario Pagliaro
The recent debate on scientific method opened by Ian Whitfield (Chemistry World, March 2007) vividly renders how the methodological question is still a hot topic among scientists themselves. Correlation is not causation, rightly says Whifield, and to make hypothesis is not sufficient for scientific progress; but gone are the days, objects Delmonte (Chemistry World, April 2007), when we could prove things, as many situations in the natural sciences could never be proved, only disproved. These themes are subtle and must be included in the education of young scientists as they are crucial to the very evolution of science and its role in contemporary and future society. This is not only because otherwise science will simply become another 'religion', but in order to enable scientists to plan better research and interact more effectively with society. Take a look, for instance, at the Masters course on critical thinking in science at the Institute for Scientific Methodology, Palermo, Italy (www.i-sem.net).
M Pagliaro AMRSCBy email