Engineering, Science and Society

Question :Does the scientific method necessarily always produce reliable and valid knowledge?
You may use subheadings in this assignment, but in other respects it should conform to the style of argumentative essay that you have covered in your skills for study class. For example it should have a clear introduction with a thesis, and a clear conclusion which summarises your answer to the question. On the following pages there are some suggestions of things that you could include in your essay, but these are not compulsory. A minimum of four sources is required to support your argument, including books and/or journals. Any essay that uses only internet references will receive a reduced mark. You can use the sources provided on Moodle amongst your reading. Remember to include appropriate citation and referencing.

On the next page are SUGGESTIONS of topics you could cover in the essay. These are not proscriptive: the task requires you to answer the question set, and you may choose to do this in a different way.

1.    Does the scientific method necessarily always produce reliable knowledge?
You could briefly explain the modern scientific method, focusing on how it seeks to maximise objectivity. You could then consider different practical ways that subjectivity is found in scientific research and the extent to which these affect the reliability and validity of knowledge.  For example you could consider research funding and conflicts of scientific interest; methodological limitations; interpretive flexibility and the experimenters regress; knowledge sharing, application and media exposure.  You could consider how the independence of scientists has been affected by commercialisation, and evaluate the gains and losses in scientific development as a result.
Alternatively you could evaluate the philosophical debates over the validity of induction (as raised by Hume), and subsequent philosophers who have engaged with this problem. For example you could look at Popper’s argument that falsification makes the scientific method deductive and rational, and Kuhn’s view that the paradigmatic patterns of scientific knowledge make it valid only within a given paradigm.

You may be penalised according to the GIC Assessment Rules if:
•    You write an essay that is above or below the stated word limit by more than 20%.
•    You hand in your assignment later than the stated deadline.
•    Any part of your work is found to have been directly copied from a source (e.g. a book, another student’s essay, an internet website) without the appropriate referencing convention