The Nature of Science

The nature of science is based on the importance of experimentation as scientific discovery is continuously evolving. As opposed to math which is characterized by concrete laws, science is based on experimentation by which fluctuations will exist in the theories and conclusions that result from experimentation. The Ontario Curriculum states that “scientists continuously assess and judge the soundness of scientific knowledge claims by testing laws and theories and modifying them in light of compelling new evidence or a re-conceptualization of existing evidence.” The question becomes: how does the role of scientists determine what teachers expect of their students in terms of an approach to science? The answer to this question requires the teacher and student to address this question from two different perspectives.

The first perspective is that of inquisitiveness, experimentation, and, most significantly, the realization that all theories can and should be re-evaluated based on the existence of new knowledge. Therefore, the student can not only strive for this new knowledge but can use this knowledge in combination with experimentation to pursue new theories. However, this perspective only represents half of the student’s responsibility in relation to questioning and experimentation.

Experimentation is a vital endeavour but without weighing the risks/rewards of the possible products which can result from creating a new scientific theory the results can be potentially dangerous. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, was a major contributor to the development of the world’s first atomic bomb and the subsequent destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He is quoted as saying "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." The probability that this technology resulting from the science would be destructive should make the scientist question whether or not this science should have been pursued. It is necessary that all science students approach any research with the realization of the risks involved.