Has the Scientific Method Hit a Wall Retarding Further Progress?

That may depend upon what is meant by ldquo;the scientific method.rdquo; This statement in quotes, of course, implies that there is only one method or way to do science. Thatrsquo;s immediately a problem and one that has likely made science seem unnecessarily difficult for far too many middle school and high school students.

The Reality of Multiple Methods

In fact, there is not just one method. I arrived at this conclusion after working through a fellowship I won in 1992 to study scientific methodology as practiced as stated in textbooks and as proposed by philosophers of science. I found little in common about scientific methodology from these three sources. In fact, I couldnrsquo;t find two middle school science texts that had the same statement of ldquo;the scientific method!rdquo;

Is the Scientific Method a Myth?

Consider the question: is scientific methodology in general extending its limitations and hindering further progress? Letrsquo;s explore this from several perspectives.

Progress in Physics

Is there nothing new in physics? Letrsquo;s evaluate:

Gravitational waves were just discovered, which suggests new insights into black holes and neutron stars. The Higgs Boson was discovered not long ago, contributing to our understanding of particle physics. Tremendous progress has been made in condensed matter physics.

Advancements in Biology

Is there nothing new in the biological sciences?

The answer is unequivocally no. Wersquo;ve seen examples of rapid biological evolution exceeding previous expectations. For instance:

Significant advancements in our understanding of the molecules that make up most organisms are being made at an unprecedented rate. Journal articles in general science magazines like Science and Nature reveal ongoing and often overwhelming new discoveries.

Chemistry and Materials Science

What about chemistry? This includes the rapidly growing field of materials science. Without delving into that, the progress in understanding chemical reactions has been incredibly impressive. We now have machinery from particle physics enabling the ldquo;observationrdquo; of some reactions in real-time.

Medical Science and Personal Experiences

How about medical science? For instance, without numerous recent advances in testing and therapies, I would likely be dead now from asthma. Every year, new approaches to dealing with various cancers are being developed, and there are now possibilities for curing certain common cancers that were once considered death sentences.

Moreover, the techniques used for treating conditions such as kidney stones have evolved significantly. In my case, the tests to monitor the causes have become so accurate that my urologist is confident I will never again need an operation for kidney stones, provided certain things are regularly monitored.

Evaluation of Scientific Progress

Herersquo;s another way to look at this. Are the Nobel Committees having trouble finding enough people to reward with the science prizes? The answer is a resounding ldquo;No!rdquo; They continue to receive a great number of serious nominations, indicating ongoing progress and innovation.

Uneven and Non-Uniform Progress

Itrsquo;s essential to recognize that science does not progress evenly or uniformly. Itrsquo;s not hard to find areas of investigation that seem to have hit brick walls, but this isnrsquo;t typical of the enterprise in general. There is a multitude of advancing scientific disciplines contributing to humanityrsquo;s knowledge and well-being.