[Phys-l] Is the "Scientific Method" the Same as "Positivism"?

[Richard Hake <rrhake@earthlink.net>]

In  response to my post "Is the 'Scientific Method' the Same as 
'Positivism'?" [Hake (2006)], Anita Pincas, in an IFETS* post of 2 
Oct 2006 10:37:41-0600 with subject heading "Re: ifets-discussion 
Digest - 27 Sep 2006 - 'Scientific  Method' - 'Positivism'?" wrote 
[bracketed by lines "PPPPPPPPPP. . . "; my insert at ". . . 
.[insert]. . . "]:

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
I want to accept everything you wrote [in Hake (2006)].

The trouble is, what should I reply to my clever clogs** daughter 
[physics graduate, science and technology writer] who denies any more 
reason for skepticism about Reiki . . .[see e.g., 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiki>]. .  or suchlike, than about 
aspirin.  She refuses thyroxine . . .[see e.g., 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroxine>]. . . even though it's 
indicated by tests.  Her father replies that he takes aspirin on the 
firm basis of  empirical evidence with one subject [himself, 
therefore does not generalise his data to others].
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

IMHO, your physics-graduate daughter's; (a) idea that there as much 
reason to be skeptical of the beneficial effects of aspirin as there 
is to the beneficial results of Reiki, and (b) her refusal to take 
thyroxine despite test evidence that it would be beneficial, is yet 
another example of the general failure of physics education (and 
education generally) to imbue even clever clogs** with your husband's 
apparent appreciation of the nature of science - see e.g., Ziman 
(2002), Redish (1999), Hake (2000).

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
<rrhake@earthlink.net>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi>

___________________________________
*IFETS stands for "International Forum of Educational Technology and Society"
According to <http://ifets.ieee.org/> IFETS is endorsed by the 
Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Technical 
Committee on Learning Technology. Unfortunately the IFETS archives at
<http://ifets.ieee.org/archive.html> appear to be dead :-(

**According to <http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/clever+clogs> "if 
you call someone a 'clever clogs', you mean that s(he) is very clever 
(British & Australian, humorous)."


REFERENCES
Hake, R.R. 2000. "Towards Paradigm Peace in Physics Education 
Research," presented at the annual meeting of the American 
Educational Research Association, New Orleans, 24-28 April; online 
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi/AERA-Hake_11.pdf> (168 KB). Also 
at that location is a pdf version 
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/ParadigmSlides.pdf> (244 kB) of
the PowerPoint slides shown at the meeting.

Hake, R.R. 2006. "Is the 'Scientific Method' the Same as 
'Positivism'? " online at 
<http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0609&L=pod&O=A&P=33171>. 
Post of 26 Sep 2006 12:35:55-0700 to AERA-D, ASSESS, Chemed-L, 
EvalTalk, HOPOS-L, IFETS, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, POD, & STLHE-L.

Redish, E.F. 1999. "Millikan lecture 1998: building a science of 
teaching physics," Am. J. Phys. 67(7): 562-573; online at
<http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/cpt.html>.

Ziman, J. 2002. "Real Science: What it is, and what it means." 
Cambridge University Press.  Originally published in 2000. Amazon.com 
information at <http://tinyurl.com/o2bax>.