FACING OUR

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
A View from Tondo, Manila

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 It’s been getting hot….

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Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) is a major evaluation of the human impact
on the environment, called for by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in
2000
SCIENCE –
OUR WEAPON AGAINST
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
 SCIENCE

“Science is what scientists do, others

we call non-scientists do not.”
G. B. Calleja, 1977
SCIENCE

• Agham, Siyensiya
• Pure Science
• Basic Science
• Applied Science
• Technology (Science Applied)
• Engineering
• Hard Science, Soft Science
• Natural Science, Social Science
SCIENCE OR BEYOND?

• Mathematics? Yes . . .
• Philosophy? Beyond . . .
• Non-Science
• Pseudo-Science
 SCIENCE AND TRUTH

1. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND TRUTH

???
NATURE/UNIVERSE WORLD VIEW MODEL

Observations
Patterns
Questions
Hypothesis
SCIENCE PROCESS THEORY MODEL
Consistent
Experimentation
SCIENCE
• Searches for truth & aims to
understand the natural world
• Does not deal with the
supernatural phenomena
• Can not provide complete
answers to all questions
• Provides explanations about
the natural world without
invoking supernatural
causes
• Demands concrete evidence
that can be seen or
experienced by others
NON-SCIENCE
• Searches for truth & aims to
understand the natural world
& beyond
• Explains & accepts
supernatural phenomena
• Has answers to all questions
• Provides explanations about
the natural world by invoking
supernatural beings &/or
relying on divine intervention
• Contented with evidence
seen or experienced by a
“gifted” or selected few
SCIENCE NON-SCIENCE
• Uses our senses & devices
that extends the capabilities
of these senses in its
investigations
• Hypotheses are falsifiable
• Claims are verifiable by
others
• Nothing is absolute; theories
may be modified or replaced
• Encourages skepticism and
critical thought
• Uses our senses but also
extrasensory capabilities of
“gifted” individuals
• Hypotheses are not
falsifiable
• Claims are difficult to verify
• Absolute & dogmatic; the
word can not be changed or
questioned
• Distances from criticism;
prefers obedience and
submission to authority
SCIENCE VS. NON-SCIENCE
• Not authoritarian
• Aims to be objective & tries
to identify sources of bias
• Open to new ideas & willing
to replace long-held theories
with new ones that better
explains facts about the
natural world
• Utilizes scientific method
• Authority is the source of
truth
• Objectivity is not a special
concern
• New ideas are frowned upon
especially when they do not
fit the founding document,
law or belief system
• Does not utilize the scientific
method; has other ways
 Science vs. Non-Science
SCIENCE VS. NON-SCIENCE:
DON’T GET CONFUSED . . .

• Physics • Metaphysics
• Astronomy • Astrology
• Psychology • Parapsychology
• Palmology • Palmistry
• Geology • Geomancy
• Chiropterology • Chiromancy
• Cosmology • Cosmetology
SCIENCE VS. NON-SCIENCE:
DON’T GET CONFUSED . . .

astronomy astrology
 SCIENCE VS. NON-SCIENCE:
DON’T GET CONFUSED . . .

geomancy geology
 SCIENCE VS. NON-SCIENCE:
DON’T GET CONFUSED . . .

palmistry palmology
 SCIENCE VS. NON-SCIENCE:
DON’T GET CONFUSED . . .

cosmology cosmetology
26 JANUARY 2017

1-2. Write the letters l and e in cursive form on

your quiz
notebook
Answer the questions below:
3. What is your favorite color?
4. Where do trees come from?
5. What is the title of your reading assignment?
QUALITIES & AIMS OF
SCIENCE

• Not all questions can be answered by science;

not testable by scientific method =
beyond science
QUALITIES & AIMS OF
SCIENCE
• While science aims to discover truth, the paradox
is the scientific process can only come up with
scientific models of nature, but these models are
with explanatory and predictive capabilities
QUALITIES & AIMS OF
SCIENCE
AIMS:
• To discover “universal truth” about nature
- truth = that which accords with fact or reality
- excludes “truth of any belief or doctrine”
- product of science – organized body of knowledge
of nature or truth
QUALITIES & AIMS OF
SCIENCE
AIMS:
• To solve problems
- process of asking questions about nature and
answering them systematically
- step-wise approach to problem solving
following certain rules
SIX CRITERIA OF SCIENCE…CONPTT

CONSISTENT NATURAL

OBSERVABLE TENTATIVE

PREDICTABLE TESTABLE

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SIX CRITERIA OF SCIENCE…CONPTT

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CONSISTENCY :THE RESULTS OF
OBSERVATIONS AND/OR EXPERIMENTS ARE
REASONABLY THE SAME WHEN PERFORMED
AND REPEATED.

1. Green plants will grow towards a light source.

2. Sleeping when hungry will cause your spirit to wander off.
OBSERVABILITY : THE EVENT OR EVIDENCE OF
THE EVENT, CAN BE OBSERVED AND EXPLAINED.
THE OBSERVATIONS ARE LIMITED TO THE BASIC
HUMAN SENSES OR TO EXTENSIONS OF THE
SENSES.
1. Some plants can eat meat.
2. Extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth.
 NATURAL :A NATURAL CAUSE
(MECHANISM) MUST BE USED TO EXPLAIN
WHY OR HOW THE EVENT HAPPENS.

1. Green plants convert sunlight into energy.

2. People can walk through walls.
 PREDICTABILITY : SPECIFIC PREDICTIONS
CAN BE USED TO MAKE FORETELL AN EVENT.
EACH PREDICTION CAN BE TESTED TO
DETERMINE IF THE PREDICTION IS TRUE OF
FALSE.
1. Students who attend class do better than students who do not attend class.
2. If you are a "Scorpio", your horoscope for today is "You'll be saying 'I feel rich !' Lunar
position highlights back pay, refunds, correction of accounting error."
How about your handwriting?
 Your favorite color and your personality

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 TENTATIVENESS : SCIENTIFIC THEORIES ARE
SUBJECT TO REVISION AND CORRECTION,
EVEN TO THE POINT OF THE THEORY BEING
PROVEN WRONG. SCIENTIFIC THEORIES HAVE
BEEN MODIFIED AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE
MODIFIED
1. The number of human chromosomes was once "known" to be 48, but is now
considered to be 46.
2. We know that the world began about 6000 years ago, and nothing will change that.
TESTABILITY :THE EVENT MUST BE
TESTABLE THROUGH THE PROCESSES OF
SCIENCE, AND CONTROLLED
EXPERIMENTATION.

1. The Bermuda Triangle causes ships and planes to sink and disappear.
2. Dogs are more social than cats.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• What is it?
• An objective and logical process by which we ask
questions and find answers

• Why do we need it?

• To promote open and honest exchange of data with
others; to share what we learn
Step 1: Purpose of experiment

First – make an observation

- Use your senses to take in new
information and ask questions
- Draw information from previous
experience; consider what you already know!
Next -use what you observe and what
you already know to formulate a
hypothesis

- A hypothesis is an educated guess about a

scientific question

Format: “If……then…..because…..”
• Example: IF we increase the
temperature of the water THEN the
breathing rate of the fish will increase
BECAUSE breathing rate is dependent
upon temperature
Steps 2-5: Create experiment to
test hypothesis

Step 2 - There is a control (what naturally

happens, what we observe)
- There is a variable (what we change and
then measure the effects of)
Step 3 - There are two types of variables:

• Independent Variable: variable that is

changed during the experiment
• Dependent Variable: data that is collected
through observation and measurement
• Example: Fish need to be in room
temperature water (control). How would it
affect their breathing rate if we lowered the
temperature 10 degrees (variable)?

WHAT IS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE? DEPENDENT VARIABLE?

Step 4 – list all materials used in
experiment (bullet points)

Step 5 – step-by-step procedure list of

how you set up your experiment
(numbered)
Steps 6 & 7: Collect Data and Analyze
Results
• Collect data using a table then present data using
a chart (typically line or bar chart)
• Analyze results:
• Summarize results (1-2 sentences, use data)
• State why you believe you got your results
• List any possible sources of error in
experiment
• Step 8: Conclusions

• 1-2 sentences summarizing your experiment

• Did your data support your hypothesis? Why or why
not?
• What would you do differently next time?
• Additional questions you may have after experiment
is completed
• Step 9: Peer Review
• As you evaluate the work of others, consider the following
questions:
• Is the experiment repeatable?
• Do you see any possible errors (additional variables)
• Ask clarifying questions (things that need to be explained
better)
• Are results verifiable?

Be prepared to answer these questions from

your peers