Philosophy and the Scientific Method, ScB
Advisors: Felicia Nimue Ackerman, Sarah Taylor
Thesis: Metabolic Syndrome, Certainty and Doubt: Re-envisioning the Scientific Method through Philosophy of Science
Thesis Advisors: Sarah Taylor, Anny Usheva, Felicia Nimue Ackerman
While many students study philosophy or the natural sciences through existing concentrations at Brown, an interdisciplinary approach allows a new dimension of thinking to become possible. By engaging in science courses with labs and conducting independent research I gained an understanding of how the scientific method works first hand by utilizing it. Alongside, an in-depth study of logic, critical thinking, and epistemology as drawn from the tradition of Western philosophy allowed me to not only immerse myself in the use of the scientific method but also evaluate its presumed certainty.
The aim of my thesis is to evaluate my opinion of the certainty of science research and the scientific method in practice and via the lens of relevant philosophy of scientific arguments. My thesis breaks down the parts of the scientific method into relevant steps and then presents how I use each part to conduct research into the effects of metabolic syndrome on the cardiac metabolomics profile. I introduce some philosophy of science papers I found both the most relevant and personal to explain the doubt that arose for me about the efficacy and certainty we take for granted at each step.
Acknowledgments: Professors Drs. Sarah Taylor, Anny Usheva, and Felicia Nimue Ackerman; Professor Dr. David Christensen; Dean Peggy Chang; Brown University’s Biochemistry, Philosophy, and Independent Concentration departments; my parents, family, and friends.
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"The place where there is no darkness was the imagined future. Congratulations!" --Felicia Nimue Ackerman
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