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  • Essay / Methodology Reflection Session – Observations, Experimentation, Theories and Models

    For this session we started to discuss the characteristics of scientific observations and experimentation, on the other hand we discussed the place theories and models in science and society. We kicked off the discussion with a bit of historical knowledge, learning about the Greek philosophers Plato (429 -347 BC) and Aristotle (384 -322 BC), who were considered scientists dating back to the 5th century BC. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayPlato and Aristotle were two of the most influential philosophers in history and, Aristotle was actually a student of Plato, Aristotle who was influenced by Plato, was able to find many flaws in Plato's theories, which led him to criticize most of Plato's works. However, both philosophers based their theories on the same four widely accepted beliefs: that knowledge must be about what is real, that the world experienced via the senses is what is real, and knowledge must be about what is fixed and unchanged/ immutable and that the world experienced via the senses is not fixed and unchanged/immutable. Aristotle was the first to understand the importance of empiricism, which is knowledge derived from research, observation and experimentation and which can be verified. In the rest of the course, we discussed the role of observation, which is not only an integral part of any scientific experiment, but it is also the central element of the scientific method, which is why, for improve the observation process, some tools were invented, for example, microscope, cameras, etc. There was a little debate between quantitative and qualitative to see which we thought was better. In my opinion, quantitative would be the better of the two, but it would depend on the situation or context in which it was used. We discussed the topic of experimentation which was defined as a test or trial that produces evidence that can be used to test a hypothesis. We reviewed a famous scientist, the one who discovered and was able to fully describe the body's circulatory system, William Harvey (1578-1657), he was considered a pioneer of modern embryology. Harvey studied the flow of blood from veins to arteries, through the heart and lungs, as well as to show the valves in the veins. This subject was very fascinating for me because, as a child, I always wondered how the body worked. A controversial topic that we then discussed was the difference between theory and law, whereas a theory would be defined as a general statement that would correctly explain all experimental observations about that behavior and properties of a wide variety of objects and a scientific law would be defined as a statement of fact and would have to be true, meaning that the same result would occur. I had the opportunity to learn more about Newton's theory of universal gravitation. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This lecture session was much more interesting in my opinion, learning about it a lot of scientific history definitely brought me to my highest interest in class, and doing my own research with Plato and Aristotle was very informative and I look forward to the next class.