Scientific Method in Real Life

Solution

Part I
The scientific method is a cycle of observation, developing a hypothesis, experimentation based on the hypothesis, and identifying conclusions. Through successive rounds of the scientific method hypothesis are refined into theorems that can explain our observations.

Let's take Scenario 1. You reach for the switch and the light doesn't come on. What would you do next? I would try the switch again. Maybe I didn't flick it all the way the first time. Then I would check to see if there was anything wrong with the electricity, by trying to turn on other lights in the house or looking to see if any electrical appliances were working. And so on and so forth until I found out why the light wasn't working.

Now in Scenario 2 let's use the scientific method.
Observation: The light doesn't come on the first time that I flick the switch. Based on experience I know a few potential causes of this observation, namely: faulty switch, no electricity, or burnt out light bulb. Using this background information I can then form a hypothesis as to why the light bulb didn't come on when I flicked the switch.

Hypothesis: The light bulb didn't come on when I turned the switch because the light bulb has burnt out.

Experiment: Take the old bulb and test it in a known working socket (at a neighbor's). Experiments should ideally have only two possible outcome. Either they will support the hypothesis or disprove it. If the light doesn't work at my neighbors house then there is something wrong with the bulb. If it does then something else is causing the lack of light.

Results: The old light bulb lights up when placed in a working socket at our neighbors house. Now we know that there is nothing wrong with that old bulb. But we still don't know why it didn't light in the first place. It's time to test another hypothesis.

Hypothesis 2: The light bulb didn't come on because there is no electricity running to the house.

Experiment: I'd borrow a working lamp from my neighbor and plug it into a socket at my house. Again either the lamp will work or it won't.

Results: The lamp works just fine when plugged into an outlet at my house.

We've now ruled out a burnt out bulb and a lack of electricity flowing to the house as the culprit. But we still don't know why the light bulb isn't lighting.

As you can see you continually refine your hypothesis and conduct experiments to disprove or prove your hypothesis until you come to a conclusion that explains the observations and allows you to predict what will happen in the future given the specific set of circumstances. Keep in mind that there might be multiple causes impacting out initial observation.

Part 2
1. The answer to this question is personal. I will give you examples from my own life as a guide for you to find examples in your own life.
My daily life consists of getting up at 5AM, walking my dog, going to work, taking karate lessons, going to bed. Through out this day I am constantly using science and technology. The results of the scientific research performed by others has a great impact on my life. For example, every morning I take a multivitamin. I do so because scientific studies have shown the importance of vitamins and minerals for a healthy body. I also take a birth control pill that was developed through the use of the scientific method. The food I feed my dog has been developed and tested using scientific methods. I access the internet countless times a day for leisure and as apart of my job. Its development relied on science and technology. My job consists of curating publications of genetically modified mice. Every day I read dozens of scientific research papers. I use electricity, indoor plumbing, and fossil fuel driven transportation among many other innovations that were developed or refined through scientific research.

2. Science has improved my life in many ways. First, it's given me a safe and reliable means of controlling my reproductive choices. It's improved my understanding of the nutritional needs of my body and my dog's. It's allowed me to explore the nature of life through the research that I used to perform and in the scientific articles I curate. Science has provided many of the modern day conveniences that have become essential to my life like electricity.

3. While research in itself is not negative its practices and results can have negative consequences. Modern day conveniences developed using science have had negative consequences on our environment and health. For example, some of the electricity produced to power my computer was generated by coal burning plants that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere contributing to climate change. The birth control pills that I take come with a slew of warnings because in some people they can contribute to clot formation among other side effects. There is always a trade off between benefits and cost especially when dealing with scientific discoveries. The cheap food that I by at the grocery store is in some part due to increased crop yields of genetically modified plants. However, these same plants can increase the overall use of pesticides and contribute to ground water pollution and algal blooms.

4. Science is as natural to humans as breathing. Our natural curiosity will always drive us to explore the world around us. We might not call it science, ancient civilizations didn't, but we will always make observations, come up with possible hypothesis, and test them to see if what we think is happening is. We have refined our scientific method and improved our ability to think scientifically. Science cannot be divorced from our nature so I do not think we can live without it. Otherwise we would have to exist as non-questioning beings. And that seems unfathomable to me.

Web reference:
http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/PHY_LABS/AppendixE/AppendixE.html
http://sciencecivilizationandsociety.blogspot.com/

Please let me know if you need further assistance.