The Scientific Method Today

John Dewey (1859-1952), America's greatest educator-philosopher, wrote many books. The most famous is How To Think.

He was a great advocate of reflective thinking.

He asserted that "the method of science-problem solving through reflective thinking should be both the method and valued outcome of science instruction in America's schools."

Thomas H. Huxley, a famous 19^th century English philosopher, claimed, "We are all scientists."

He reasoned that "the method of scientific investigation is nothing but the necessary mode of working of the human mind."

This is what makes SM-14 such a fundamental formula. This pamphlet just presents it in clearer terminology and manner.

Ingredient #14:

The quality of human activity applied to the various stages and action methods involved in the scientific method determines the quality of results achieved. The fame of the scientific method results from the high degree of development of personal attributes and thinking skills that scientists have used in the scientific method.

There is some overlap between attributes and thinking skills. Scientists are human and therefore not perfect, but their overall accomplishments have achieved phenomenal benefits for society. The use of their method spread to all domains.

A definition of personal attributes also includes character traits, aptitudes, skills, values, attitudes, etc. The number of desirable attributes mentioned in the problem-solving literature is great.

Those most frequently mentioned include:

There is no standard combination that is "best." Your success in life depends on developing desirable personal attributes and improving your undesirable ones.

In this limited space, I can only impress on you the need to develop your ability to learn and use the thinking skills necessary to adjust to the many changes in our fast-developing world.

We will consider the two primary thinking skills which are always used in problem origination, solving, and challenge of solution.

They are basic ways of thinking and are termed induction and deduction.