This means that scientific claims are not based on mere speculation, authority, or abstract reasoning alone, but rather on evidence gathered from the natural world.
Observation involves using our senses or scientific instruments to gather information about phenomena.
Experimentation involves actively manipulating variables under controlled conditions to test hypotheses and observe the outcomes.
The core principle is that scientific theories and laws must be testable and falsifiable through empirical evidence.
This empirical approach distinguishes science from other ways of knowing, such as philosophy or religion, which may rely on different forms of justification.
Key figures in the development of the scientific method, like Francis Bacon, emphasized the importance of inductive reasoning based on empirical data.
Empiricism, as a philosophical stance, posits that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience.
Scientific progress is achieved through a continuous cycle of observation, hypothesis formation, experimentation, and refinement of theories based on the empirical results.
