Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: I 4. The scientific method is essentially a method of solving problems that present either a utilitarian or an intellectual appeal; therefore the true way to induct beginners into its use is to confront them with such problems, and guide them in using the scientific method in reaching their solutions. Lessons for the teacher from the meaning of science.— The history of scientific discoveries and their relation to the march of civilization contains some most important lessons : 1. Suggestions, ideas, inferences, concepts, grow only out of an abundant first-hand acquaintance with facts. 2. Ability to grapple successfully with problematic situations of whatever degree of complexity depends on fertility of ideas which may be used as hypotheses. 3. Prejudice, hasty generalizing, and premature belief in a suggested law or principle paralyze curiosity and inhibit inquiry, and therefore are fatal to the development of power in thinking. 4. The value of any hypothesis in guiding the mind toward the final solution of a problem depends on the possibilities of testing or trying it out. 5. Hypotheses must be rigorously tested by reasoning out their implications and comparing these with the facts; and the selection of a working theory must be made by considering all likely hypotheses, and choosing that one which best sustains the attacks of such rigorous criticism. 6. Continuous testing of hypotheses leads steadily to the observation and discovery of new facts. 7. As knowledge of the subject matter accumulates, it must be classified and organized with reference to some hypothesis or theory in order to be remembered and recorded in such manner as to be capable of use. 8. The final process in the scientific method is the organizing of the entire subject matter — fact...