DR.DINIMOL JACOB

Module 1 - 1.4 Relevance of Learning the History of Life Science

The History of Science classes to science students will make them better scientists.  It is the best way to understand the development of the scientific method, critical thought and the problems of reasoning without logic. The exposure to the history of science helps students considering science as a career to think, ask questions, and explore the concepts and consequences of broad topics, enabling them to grasp what science is about and how it is conducted. The knowledge and understanding of the history of science can enable future practitioners of science better to anticipate and respond to the challenges of rapid globalization and be better prepared to mold our future. We can show how scientific communities work, and how scientific knowledge changes over time. Students can become acquainted with the key institutions, formative episodes, and accomplishments of their fields, a process that can contribute to the formation of professional identity in ways that are probably more effective than simply learning and replicating the contents of science textbooks and laboratory routines.

The relevance of learning the history of life science is given below:

1.  Students can learn what the world was like before they had their current understanding.

2.  Students learn how other people made new discoveries; learn new ways of thinking that might allow them to make their own new discoveries.

3.      As they learn about the history of science, they learn about great men and women who thought outside the box and often went against convention.

4.      Learning about the history of science is a way to bring history alive for those not given to the humanities bent.

5.      Learning about science in the context of society at the time helps to understand segments of history.

6.      The history of science differs somewhat from conventional history in that it is learning about other people observing the natural world, instead of chronicling events and trends in society.

7.      Can see how science is influenced by culture.

8.      By learning about the history of science, students learn about the scientific revolution, one of human history’s most important eras.