DBQ-ScientificMethod.doc.docVIP

Humanities Name ________________ Mr. Kelly Mr. Waterman The Scientific Method Introduction: Cogito ergo sum—I think, therefore I am. This famous saying was composed by Rene Descartes early in the 17th century. Descartes was one of the first to lay out a philosophy of science. His piercing reflections on the nature of knowledge are the foundation of modern scientific inquiry. If Descartes ideas help us understand what scientists seek to know, the ideas of Francis Bacon show us how scientists conduct research. In this lesson, you will study documents from Descartes and Bacon that provided the foundation for scientific thinking and the scientific method. Rene Descartes: Discourse on Method (1637) Why did Descartes feel it was best to have a very limited number of laws? Summarize the four precepts that Descartes sought to follow.     Why did Descartes try to reject as absolutely false anything he could doubt? What did Descartes realize that led him to compose his famous line I think, therefore I am (in Latin: Cogito ergo sum)? What did Descartes conclude about himself? Francis Bacon: First Book of Aphorisms: Read Aphorism VIII. How does Bacon criticize science of that time? Read Aphorisms XI and XII. How does Bacon criticize logic? Read Aphorisms XIX and XXII. How does Bacon describe the true way of science? (Note—an axiom is a principle or something that holds true in mathematics, science, or philosophy.) Read Aphorism XXXI. According to Bacon, where should science start? Read Aphorism C. According to Bacon, how should experimentation/experience be conducted? René Descartes: Discourse on Method (1637) When I was younger I had studied a little among other branches of philosophy, logic, and among types of mathematics, geometrical analysis and algebra: three arts or sciences which seemed as if they ought to contribute something to my goal. But when I examined them, I realized that as far as logic was c