Hypothetico-Conductive Argument In Molding Modern Science

Though Darwin discovered natural selection and claimed that such theory was produced upon the inductive method, his scientific breakthrough actually derived from the hypoethetico-deductive method. Scientists in the 18th century were wary about their discoveries due to the prevalence of scientists using the inductive method. If credibility was not established, scientists risk the public accusing their theories of subjective bias. They were expected to develop logical explanations of the natural world by making objective observations. Therefore, Bacon was very influential in molding modern science. Bacon and Mill developed the method of induction as a means to achieve objectivity and prevent subjective preconceptions from occurring.
To understand

For example, a person could look at plants all day long and record observations, but never understand truthfully why cactuses behave differently. The scientific hypotheses would be buried too deeply beneath the description of the empirical events. This contradicts the methodology of science since specific interest is what drives scientists to study science.
On the other hand, the hypothetico-deductive method incorporates creativity and creates a specific focus for the study. This method entails formulating a
Achilles - Summer 2015 Bio 100 - P2D1. Page 1 of 4 hypothesis about the world and testing it via observations and experiments. In other words, the method reverses the methodology of induction. Induction starts with observations and ends with a hypothesis, whereas the hypothetico-deductive method starts with a hypothesis, tests it, and ends with a statement. The advantage of this method is that scientists are able to question and validate their curiosity, nearing closer to the universal truth. Creativity acts as a double-edged sword since it can bring us both closer to or further from the truth. Therefore, it is highly dependent on the imagination of the scientist and the hypothesis’s testability.

Lastly, the hypothesis must be testable for agreement with the observation. It accounts for falsifiability of the hypothesis, critical for distinguishing science from nonscience. A reason for this is because many truths do not make a statement law, but one piece of evidence that shows falsity in the hypothesis can disprove it altogether.
Thus, it was very evident that Darwin used the hypothetico-deductive method to study natural selection. For example, he went through multiple theories and tests while collecting data on barnacles, climbing plants, and worms. Numerous amounts of information were found in his books on these studies. Eventually, these
Achilles - Summer 2015 Bio 100 - P2D1. Page 2 of 4 findings and the use of this method led to advancement in other fields of study like physiology or psychology. Taxonomy was established as a result, for instance.
Without Darwin’s pursuit and the use of the scientific method, the theory of evolution would never have emerged.
In conclusion, Darwin did not arrive at the discovery of natural selection via the method of induction. Although he claimed his scientific discovery was