Scientific Method

The scientific method is one of the most amazing discoveries of the human mind. It is a way to test theories about the real world. The scientific method helps us cast aside ideas that do not align with the aspects of the natural world.

The Scientific method starts with a question; a problem that we need to solve. We come up with potential solutions to that problem. At this point in the process, there is no need to put too much emphasis on the right solution. There will be experiments later to test the potential solutions and the wrong ones will be discarded so that the right solution comes to light.

An explanation of the problem at hand is proposed in form of a hypothesis. A hypothesis is not well tested and it must be falsifiable; it must be either right or wrong. It cannot be in the gray area. To test the hypothesis, experiments are designed. The hypothesis is then updated based on the experiment results. This process continues until a hypothesis is found that can exactly predict the results of the experiment.

There are subjective truths and there are objective truths. "Purple is my favorite color" is a subjective statement. Although it is my favorite color, there is nothing we can do to test this statement. This statement is not falsifiable. Similarly, personal beliefs are subjective. They are more of an aspect of our psychology than a characteristic of the real world. Objective truths, on the other hand, are true regardless of my beliefs. For example, I cannot choose or not choose to believe in F = ma because it is just true.

The scientific method is a way to filter out objective truths so real-life predictions can be made.