Understanding Scientific Reasoning

by Ronald N. Giere, Robert Mauldin, John Bickle

Book Overview

Not everything that claims to be science is. UNDERSTANDING SCIENTIFIC REASONING shows you easy-to-use principles that let you distinguish good science from bad information you encounter in both textbooks and the popular media. And because it uses the same processes that scientists use (but simplified), you'll know you're getting the most reliable instruction around. You'll also learn how to reason through case studies using the same informal logic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 015506326X
• ISBN13: 9780155063266
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Book; Inspiring Text

I've used this book since the first edition years ago whenever I teach our Logic and Scientific Reasoning Course. It is the best explanation I've ever seen of the process of scientific reasoning and why it is so successful. Students really get a grasp of what's going on in all branches of science, historical as well as experimental, and they can do it on their own. Great stuff, with lots of interesting and illuminating examples.

Interesting; all educated people should read it!

This book is much more interesting than the publisher's blurb suggests. Every day, educated people have to deal with the results of scientific study. If you're foggy on why a "significant difference" is not always a large difference (and vice versa), or if you haven't quite realized that theories can be disproved but not proved, you need this book.