Science a many-splendored thing - Novak, Igor (World Scientific, 2011)
Includes bibliographical references and index
Is Science important? -- - Why is Science important? -- - What is Science? -- - In what ways is Science like a map? -- - Science and Culture -- - What is the principal difference between Science and other human activities? -- - Philosophical and Methodological Aspects of Science -- - Scientific community (SC) -- - Example of the Scientific Community's role -- - Peer review and reward systems -- - The peer review system -- - Routes to scientific discovery and selection of research problem -- - General characteristics of Science -- - The cycle of scientific activities -- - Scientific language -- - Metaphors -- - Laws of Nature -- - Models and theories -- - Distinguishing between Theory and Truth -- - Possible methodological errors in Science -- - General or universal statements -- - Singular statements -- - Types of scientific arguments -- - Critical thinking in Science and everyday life -- - Incorrect logical arguments (fallacies) -- - Experimental Design and Scientific Evidence --
- How does the shape of the kettle affect the time required to boil water? -- - How does the electrical resistance affect the boiling time? -- - Measurement errors -- - Sampling -- - Pseudo-science (PS) -- - Creationism's objections to evolutionary theory (ET) -- - Creationist and scientific methodologies -- - Driving forces of Creationism -- - Scientific Knowledge -- - The span of scientific knowledge -- - Reductionism, determinism and irreversibility -- - Methodological reductionism -- - Ontological reductionism -- - Maps and complementary knowledge -- - Determinism and reductionism -- - Holism -- - Scientific knowledge and Philosophy of Science -- - Falsification cycle -- - Do Scientists attempt to falsify theories? -- - The causes of pathological Science and how to avoid it? -- - The validity of scientific results -- - Caveats -- - Sociological and Ethical Aspects of Science -- - Is Science value-neutral? -- - Science in Ethics -- - Ethics in Science --
- Ethical standards pertaining to Science: -- - Misconduct in Science: -- - Why does misconduct in Science matter? -- - Societal support for modern Science -- - Motivation of Scientists -- - Scientists in Society -- - Science, Technology and Applied Science -- - Science impacts on Society -- - Society's impact on Science -- - Science and public policy - climate change -- - Is global warming prediction true? -- - Science, Risk and Evidence -- - Science and History -- - Mathematics -- - Civil and military engineering -- - Combined tradition -- - The heliocentric vs. geocentric model debate -- - Examples of Scientific Development: China, Europe -- - Scientific Revolution in W. Europe (16th-18th century) -- - Astronomy and mechanics -- - Medicine & optics -- - Chemistry -- - Broader consequences of scientific revolution: -- - New relationship between Science and Technology -- - Societal support for Modern Science -- - The future of Science -- - Potential causes of scientific decline --
- Religious fundamentalism -- - Political fundamentalism -- - Economic fundamentalism -- - Limits of Science -- - Human and social limits -- - Technological limits -- - Cosmological limits -- - Logical/mathematical limits -- - Science in Action-Case studies -- - Case Study 1: Theories of combustion -- - The inadequacies of phlogiston theory -- - What can we learn from Case Study 1? -- - What can we learn from Case Study 2? -- - Weapons of mass destruction -- - The Two Scientists -- - What can we learn from Case Study 3?