Scientific Thinking, Second Edition

Scientific Thinking provides comprehensive coverage of such topics as inductive reasoning, confirmation, demarcation, sampling, correlations, causality, hypotheses, experimental methods, and the role of values in science. Drawing examples from both the history of science and more modern scientific work, the book helps readers recognize the ongoing importance of developing good habits of scientific thinking. Questions and exercises are interspersed to encourage active reflection and engagement with new concepts and key cases as they arise in the book.

• Chapter 1: Galileo and Mrs. Smith
• Chapter 2: Induction, Deduction, Confirmation
• Chapter 3: Science and Pseudoscience
• Chapter 4: Sampling
• Chapter 5: Random Samples
• Chapter 6: Imprecision and Confidence Level
• Chapter 7: Statistical Relations
• Chapter 8: Correlations Described
• Chapter 9: Correlations Calculated

• Chapter 10: Explanations Explained
• Chapter 11: Problems with the D-N Model
• Chapter 12: Hypotheses and Explanations
• Chapter 13: Two Strategies for Hypothesizing
• Chapter 14: Disconfirming Hypotheses
• Chapter 15: Empiricism Revisited
• Chapter 16: Categories

• Chapter 17: Seeing Causes
• Chapter 18: Causal Relations
• Chapter 19: Causal Complications
• Chapter 20: Experimental Confirmation of Cause
• Chapter 21: Experimental Procedures
• Chapter 22: Nonexperimental Methods
• Chapter 23: Scientific Objectivity and Values
• Chapter 24: The Truth

Robert M. Martin is Professor of Philosophy (retired) at Dalhousie University and author of many books, including Philosophical Conversations and the best-seller There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book.

Archie Fields III is Philosophy Editor at Broadview Press and holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Calgary. He has taught courses in the history and philosophy of science, and his work has appeared in Biology and Philosophy and other journals.

“Scientific Thinking is a highly accessible, intuitively organized introduction to scientific reasoning, scientific methods, and the philosophy of science. While it focuses on concepts essential for interpreting and evaluating scientific research, it also weaves in substantive discussion of central issues in the philosophy of science. As a result, readers will not only refine their ability to understand and assess scientific work but also think more clearly and deeply about the nature of science, its objectivity, and its value.” — Nicholas Smith, Department of Academic Literacy and Linguistics, Borough of Manhattan Community College

“Scientific Thinking does something most textbooks avoid: it treats students as people who can handle genuine complexity. The writing is conversational without being breezy, and the arguments build carefully without ever feeling padded. For students in introductory science courses, especially those who come in skeptical or anxious, this book offers a real entry point into how scientific reasoning works, not a sanitized version of it. I’d use this without hesitation.” — Arunava Roy, Assistant Professor & Discipline Lead, Natural Sciences, College of Professional and Continuing Studies, University of Oklahoma

“This book offers an accessible and effective introduction to the scientific method. It’s written in a conversational tone that encourages readers to be active participants in the learning process. The diverse examples and stories do a great job of facilitating the translation of complex concepts, such as induction, causation, and explanation, into issues that impact students in their everyday lives.” — Alzbeta Hajkova, Philosophy Program, School of Humanities, University of West Georgia