Unit-5-Science-and-the-Scientific-Attitude课文翻译大学英语

Unit5ScienceandtheScientificAttitudeScienceisthebodyofknowledgeaboutnaturethatrepresentsthecollectiveefforts,insights,findings,andwisdomofthehumanrace.Scienceisnotsomethingnewbuthaditsbeginningsbeforerecordedhistorywhenhumansfirstdiscoveredreoccurringrelationshipsaroundthem.Throughcarefulobservationsoftheserelationships,theybegantoknownatureand,becauseofnature'sdependability,foundtheycouldmakepredictionstoenablesomecontrolovertheirsurroundings.Sciencemadeitsgreatestheadwayinthesixteenthcenturywhenpeoplebeganaskinganswerablequestionsaboutnature--whentheybeganreplacingsuperstitionbyasystematicsearchfororder--whenexperimentinadditiontologicwasusedtotestideas.Wherepeopleoncetriedtoinfluencenaturaleventswithmagicandsupernaturalforces,theynowhadsciencetoguidethem.Advancewasslow,however,becauseofthepowerfuloppositiontoscientificmethodsandideas.Inabout1510Copernicussuggestedthatthesunwasstationaryandthattheearthrevolvedaboutthesun.Herefutedtheideathattheearthwasthecenteroftheuniverse.Afteryearsofhesitation,hepublishedhisfindingsbutdiedbeforehisbookwascirculated.HisbookwasconsideredhereticalanddangerousandwasbannedbytheChurchfor200years.AcenturyafterCopernicus,themathematicianBrunowasburnedatthestake--largelyforsupportingCopernicus,suggestingthesuntobeastar,andsuggestingthatspacewasinfinite.GalileowasimprisonedforpopularizingtheCopernicantheoryandforhisothercontributionstoscientificthought.Yetacoupleofcenturieslater,Copernicanadvocatesseemedharmless.Thishappensageafterage.Intheearly1800sgeologistsmetwithviolentcondemnationbecausetheydifferedwiththeGenesisaccountofcreation.Laterinthesamecentury,geologywassafe,buttheoriesofevolutionwerecondemnedandtheteachingofthemforbidden.Thismostlikelycontinues.Ateverycrosswayontheroadthatleadstothefuture,eachprogressivespiritisopposedbyathousandmenappointedtoguardthepast.Everyagehasoneormoregroupsofintellectualrebelswhoarepersecuted,condemned,orsuppressedatthetime;buttoalaterage,theyseemharmlessandoftenessentialtotheelevationofhumanconditions.Theenormoussuccessofsciencehasledtothegeneralbeliefthatscientistshavedevelopedandateemployingamethod-amethodthatisextremelyeffectiveingaining,organizing,andapplyingnewknowledge.Galileo,famousscientistofthe1600s,isusuallycreditedwithbeingtheFatheroftheScientificMethod.Hismethodisessentiallyasfollows:1.Recognizeaproblem.2.Guessananswer.3.Predicttheconsequencesoftheguess.4.Performexperimentstotestpredictions.5.Formulatethesimplesttheoryorganizesthethreemainingredients:guess,prediction,experimentaloutcome.Althoughthiscookbookmethodhasacertainappeal,tohasnotbeenthekeytomostofthebreakthroughsanddiscoveriesinscience.Trialanderror,experimentationwithoutguessing,accidentaldiscovery,andothermethodsaccountformuchoftheprogressinscience.Ratherthanaparticularmethod,thesuccessofsciencehasmoretodowithanattitudecommontoscientists.Thisattitudeisessentiallyoneofinquiry,experimentation,andhumilitybeforethefacts.Ifascientistholdsanideatobetrueandfindsanycounterevidencewhatever,theideaiseithermodifiedorabandoned.Inthescientificspirit,theideamustbemodifiedorabandonedinspiteofthereputationofthepersonadvocatingit.Asanexample,thegreatlyrespectedGreekphilosopherAristotlesaidthatfallingbodiesfallataspeedproportionaltotheirweight.Thisfalseideawasheldtobetrueformorethan2,000yearsbecauseofAristotle'simmenseauthority.Inthescientificspirit,however,asingleverifiableexperimenttothecontraryoutweighsanyauthority,regardlessofreputationorthenumberoffollowersandadvocates.Scientistsmustacceptfactsevenwhentheywouldlikethemtobedifferent.Theymuststrivetodistinguishbetweenwhattheyseeandwhattheywishtosee--forhumanity'scapacityforself-deceptionisvast.Peoplehavetraditionallytendedtoadoptgeneralrules,beliefs,creeds,theories,andideaswithoutthoroughlyquestioningtheirvalidityandtoretainthemlongaftertheyhavebeenshowntobemeaningless,false,oratleastquestionable.Themostwidespreadassumptionsaretheleastquestioned.Mostoften,whenanideaisadopted,particularattentionisgiventocasesthatseemtosupportit,whilecasesthatseemtorefuteitaredistorted,belittled,orignored.Wefeeldeeplythatitisasignofweaknesstochangeoutminds.Competentscientists,however,mustbeexpertatchangingtheirminds.Thisisbecausescienceseeksnottodefendourbeliefsbuttoimprovethem.Bettertheoriesaremadebythosewhoarenothunguponprevailingones.Awayfromtheirprofession,scientistsareinherentlynomorehonestorethicalthanotherpeople.Butintheirprofessiontheyworkinanarenathatputsahighpremiumonhonesty.Thecardinalruleinscienceisthatallclaimsmustbetestable--theymustbecapable,atleastinprinciple,ofbeingprovedwrong.Forexample,ifsomeoneclaimsthatacertainprocedurehasacertainresult,itmustinprinciplebepossibletoperformaprocedurethatwilleitherconfirmorcontradicttheclaim.Ifconfirmed,thentheclaimisregardedasusefulandastepping-stonetofurtherknowledge.Noneofushasthetimeorenergyorresourcestotesteveryclaim,somostofthetimewemusttakesomebody'sword.However,wemusthavesomecriterionfordecidingwhetheroneperson'swordisasgoodasanother'sandwhetheroneclaimisasgoodasanother.Thecriterion,again,i