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The Scientific Method Today

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS ...

The Greatest Idea of All Times!

A Complete Act of Thought

The Master Method of Knowledge

A Universal Method for All Domains

... A Complete Act of Thought

With knowledge doubling at a faster rate than ever, it would greatly help everyone if they were taught clear and simple guide for a complete act of thought.

From my research, I believe that such a guide is most commonly called "The Scientific Method" (also called the general pattern of the scientific method). It was developed by many, but most accurately by scientists (an example is SM-14).

The literature contains many formulas for problem solving, creative problem solving, decision making, and other similar terms. While these are "acts of thought," they usually are not complete acts of thought, because the formulas do not usually cover problem origination, challenge of solution, or suspend judgment. They all contain just parts of SM-14.

Wallas, in Art of Thought (1926), gives a formula for the "Art of Thought:"

preparation
incubation
illumination
verification

This has been widely quoted but is too short for a complete act-of-thought formula for teaching purposes.

Dewey's guide to his "analysis of a complete act of thought" has been widely cited. Professor T.L. Kelley of Harvard, in Scientific Method: Its Function in Research and in Education (1932), abstracts Dewey's guide in a little different way than most authors, listing the "steps" shown below (he added #8, feeling it was needed). Also shown is a comparison of these "steps" to the stages of SM-14.

Dewey's Complete Act of Thought
as abstracted by Kelley

1. A felt difficulty.
2. A definition of the difficulty.
3. A tentative solution.
4. A mental elaboration of the solution, leading to additional tentative solutions and elaboration, if felt necessary, finally leading to #5.
5. The belief that the solution is all right
6. An experimental verification
7. An appraisal of the experimental findings leading to acceptance of mental solution and a decision for immediate conductor to rejection and a reinstatement of a felt difficulty, The process is continued until a verified solution which is immediately serviceable is obtained.
8. A forward look to, or mental picturing of, future situations to which the present solution is pertinent

Note: "A Tentative Solution" was not included as a separate stage in SM-14 as it may occur at #1, in between 1 & 2, at 2 or 3, and normally one or more at 4 & 5.

Compare To The SM-14 Formula

  1. Curious Observation
  2. The Problem
  3. Goals, Planning
  4. Search - Explore
  5. Alternate Solutions
  6. Evaluate Evidence
  7. Guess - Hypothesis
  8. Challenge Hypothesis
  9. Reach Conclusion
10. Take Action
11. Action Methods
13. Procedural Principles
14. Attributes - Thinking

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