Scientific Inquiry: Concepts, Methods, and Theories

The scientific discoveries of ancient philosophers such as Aristotle were considered to be in the realm of "natural philosophy." Today philosophy and science are considered separate disciplines, yet each illuminates and complements the other. Modern philosophers are apt to pose important questions about the logic behind and validity of scientific practices. This comprehensive volume explains how and why philosophical thought is applied to the natural sciences and challenges readers to think in different ways about scientific inquiry.

Today we have countless scientific laws and principles that help explain our observations of the natural world. However, this was not always the case. Although individuals have long sought to understand their surroundings, it was not until around 2500 BCE that scientific activity began to assume a more prominent place in civilizations around the world. The journey from early investigation through the scientific revolution to the present day is chronicled in this absorbing volume. Readers will learn how religion helped fuel early studies in astronomy, how Stonehenge is related to the Pythagorean theorem, how the development of the scientific method affected the various branches of science, the implications of the "God particle," and much more.