Area of Knowledge Natural Sciences.

Case Study Analysis.

Choose one of the following Case Studies, and analyse it to answer the following questions:

1. Was the Scientific Method followed in a 'conventional manner' to produce this knowledge ?

2. Was there a significant role of falsification in producing this knowledge ?

3. Was there significant peer review in the production and, or, acceptance of this knowledge ?

Case Studies.

• Development of X-Ray technology.

• Double helix,

• Pasteurisation,

• Tectonic Plates,

• Atomic Model,

• Genetic Cloning Technology (CRISPR etc),

• Discovery of Ozone,

Extension Tasks.

Students join one of 4 groups to investigate AoK Natural Sciences:

• Scope

• Perspectives

• Methods & Tools

• Ethics

Scope.

Choose from one of the following KQs:

• Could there be scientific problems that are currently unknown because the technology needed to reveal them doesn’t exist yet?

• Is human knowledge confined to what the natural sciences discover, or are there other important inquiries that are not covered by the natural sciences?

• What knowledge, if any, is likely to always remain beyond the capabilities of science to investigate or verify?

• Do the natural sciences rely on any assumptions that are themselves unprovable by science?

Perspectives.

• How can it be that scientific knowledge changes over time?

• What role do paradigm shifts play in the progression of scientific knowledge?

• Does the list of disciplines included in, or excluded from, the natural sciences change from one era to another, or from one culture or tradition to another?

• Does competition between scientists help or hinder the production of knowledge?