RI KI Y5 Knowledge and Science Notes 2023

RI KI Y5 Term 3 Knowledge and Science 1 Scientific Knowledge Class Notes Essay Questions Use these essay questions to guide you in your study of Science as an area of knowledge in KI. 1. Discuss the view that scientific knowledge is the most important kind of knowledge for the progress of a society (2007 A Levels) 2. ‘The social sciences are not really sciences, because they do not construct their knowledge according to scientific methods.’ Discuss. (2008 A Levels) 3. Discuss critically the extent to which the investigator’s opinions and beliefs can influence enquiries in the field of either history or science. (2009 A Levels) 4. Science is the only field of human enquiry that can offer us explanations. (2010 A Levels) 5. The sciences are more successful than the humanities because they are based on empirical facts as opposed to opinions. Discuss. (2011 A Levels) 6. We cannot know about what cannot be falsified. Discuss. (2013 A Levels) 7. Can the sciences ever explain why people behave the way they do? (2014 A Levels) 8. Critically assess the claim that the sciences are the most important form of inquiry for learning about the world. (2015 A Levels) 9. ‘There are no significant differences between an inquiry into whether a painting is beautiful and an inquiry into the atomic composition of a molecule.’ Critically assess this view. (2016 A Levels) 10. ‘The value of natural science lies not in its truth but in its utility.’ Critically discuss this view. (2018 A Levels) 11. ‘Scientific knowledge is simply a matter of agreement among experts.’ Critically discuss this view. (2019 A Levels) 12. Assess the extent to which science gives us knowledge of the world. (2020 A Levels) 13. To what extent is scientific knowledge reliable? (Section B) 14. Compare the roles played by reasoning in Mathematics and Science. (Section B) 15. Does the Scientific Method make science reliable? (Section B) 16. ‘Mathematics is more reliable than Science.’ Discuss. (Section B) 17. Compare the roles played by reason and imagination in at least two areas of knowledge. (Section A) 18. If scientific knowledge is provisional, to what extent is it knowledge? (Section B) 19. Should we trust science to give us a complete understanding of the world? (Section B) 20. Science offers us certainty and objectivity. Discuss. (Section B) 21. As a means of knowledge acquisition, Science is a seriously flawed. Discuss. (Section B) 22. “We can believe in science because scientific knowledge is objectively acquired.” Compare the degree of objectivity between two different fields of science. (Section B) 23. “The notion of absolute truth is shown to be in poor correspondence with the actual development of science. Scientific truths are better regarded as relationships holding in some limited domain.” (David Bohm) To what extent do you agree? (Section B)

RI KI Y5 Term 3