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What is Science Tuesday January 13 2015 2 02 PM What Is Science Is science a body of knowledge or a collection of facts No if this were the case then we could not make appeals to science in order to determine the veracity of that knowledge We would be engaging in circular reasoning The body of knowledge that we call scientific may well be a product of science but it is not science itself A method for provisionally understanding the world Quest for knowledge that relies on criticism Allows for our claims or theories to be wrong Falsifiability The thing that distinguishes science from non science is that scientific statements must be falsifiable Observations that could refute our theory All scientific statements must be potentially testable Facts definitions are not scientific Definitions cannot be falsified Tautology A statement that is true by definition Can depend on how you define terms Ex Strong states are able to implement policies If we define strong states as states that successfully implement policies then this statement is tautological If we define strong states as states which are military mighty then this statement is falsifiable Statements about unobservable phenomena God exists or God created the world are claims that cannot be falsified and therefore are not scientific Scientific Method Describes the process by which scientists learn about the world Question 1 2 3 God exists or God created the world are claims that cannot be falsified and therefore are not scientific Scientific Method Describes the process by which scientists learn about the world Question Theory Implications hypotheses Observation Evaluation Why something happens Identifies for us a cause Often referred to as a model Can be informal or formal Simplification Theory A set of logically consistent statements that tell us why the things we observe occur Ex The success of the FSU Seminoles football team is due to the talent of the coaching leadership Offers a casual explanation for a particular outcome of interest Allows for alternative explanations Can be observed and falsified with evidence Hypotheses Deduce implications from the model other than those we set out to explain in the first place Empirical Observation Examine whether the implications of the model are consistent with observation A critical test may enable us to use observation to distinguish between two or more competing explanations of the same phenomenon Evaluation If we observe the implications deduced from our theory then we say that our theory is supported We do not say that our theory is proven We then continue to look for evidence that would contradict our theory If we fail to observe the expected implications then our theory is probably wrong The Scientific Process that our theory is supported We do not say that our theory is proven We then continue to look for evidence that would contradict our theory If we fail to observe the expected implications then our theory is probably wrong The Scientific Process Political science employs the tools of the scientific method to study the political world Comparative politics is a subfield of political science Comparative Politics is the study of politics in other countries The Comparative Method Also known as Mill s Methods John Stuart Mill Method of Agreement Method of Difference ONE approach to comparative politics What is it about a particular case that explains this specific outcome Collected observations of the world which could be used to generate general laws or theories about the political and social world His goal was to identify the causes of political events What is a Cause A cause is Necessary or sufficient conditions for a particular event or outcome to occur Necessary Condition The outcome cannot occur without the necessary condition Y never happens unless X happens If Y then X if no X then no Y Ex You must be female to be pregnant You must be over 30 to be a U S Senator Sufficient Condition A circumstance in whose presence the event in question must occur Y always happens if X happens If X then Y if no Y then no X Ex Jumping cause is a sufficient condition for leaving the ground effect A Necessary and Sufficient Condition A circumstance in whose absence the event in question will not occur and in whose presence the event in question must occur In order for there to be lighting there must also be thunder A Necessary and Sufficient Condition A circumstance in whose absence the event in question will not occur and in whose presence the event in question must occur In order for there to be lighting there must also be thunder Comparative Method Mill The systematic search for necessary sufficient and necessary and sufficient conditions has come to be known as Mill s methods or the comparative method Two main methods Method of Agreement when the cases agree on the phenomenon to be explained Only evaluates necessary causes Cases must have the same outcome ex Democracy Method of Difference when the cases differ on the phenomenon to be explained Dependent vs Explanatory Independent Variables The Method of Agreement is supported by the argument that whatever can be eliminated is not a cause of the phenomenon If you can eliminate all but one variable then that is your cause The Method of Difference requires you eliminate conditions that do not vary in exactly the same way as the outcome Whatever cannot be eliminated is the sufficient cause of the phenomenon Ethnic homogeneity EH is not a necessary condition Multiparty system MP is not a necessary condition Having a parliamentary system P is not a necessary condition Is wealth a sufficient condition for democracy Wealth is not a sufficient condition for democracy because Mexico is wealthy but not a democracy Key difference between the two MoD is stronger inferentially Findings indicate Wealth maybe necessary not sufficient EH is neither necessary not sufficient Multiparty and parliament is not necessary maybe sufficient Required Assumptions Causal process must be deterministic There can be no interaction effects There can be only one cause All the potential causes have been identified All the instances of the phenomena that could ever occur have been observed by us or all the unobserved instances including future instances must be like the instances we have observed Many believe that these assumptions are almost always impossible to There can be no interaction effects There can be only one cause All the potential causes have been identified


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FSU CPO 2002 - What is Science?

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