"We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster." Carl Sagan, 1996. (Surveys have shown that 75-95% of the U.S. population is scientifically illiterate; of most developed countried, we are at the bottom.)

After studying this material you should be able to:

1. Explain what science is, be able to recognize good science, and be able to explain how it differs from "pseudoscience."

2. Outline and describe the logic behind the basic steps of the scientific process or method.

3. Explain what is meant by the phrase "science as a way of knowing the natural world."

4. Explain how the word "theory" is used in a scientific sense.

5. Explain what evolution IS and, in a very general sense, describe how it occurs.

6. Explain what evolution IS NOT. (For example, it is not a religion, a substitution for it, or anti-religious.) Be aware of the differences between evolution/science and religion.

7. Explain why evolution is considered both a fact and a scientific theory.

8. Explain why there is so much controversy about evolution (and the scientific method).

9. Give examples to explain how natural selection works.

10. Define the key terms below, as well as discuss any and all relationships among them.

science	pseudoscience	hypothesis
scientific theory	evolution	testable
scientific method	natural selection	experimental control

Dr. R. E. Hurlbert of the Department of Microbiology at Washington State University has put together a remarkable web site that discusses the meaning of evolution and the differences between science and pseudoscience (including Creationism). His Chapter 6, called "The Scientific Method, Evolution, and Life", is pertinent. If you cannot access this web page, click here. This version is not as snazzy, but it has the text.

Because his web site deals with many of the issues we have discussed in Bio100/101 this semester (and probably many issues that have gone through your own mind), please refer to it as your major source of information for this lecture. You will be examined on this material, specifically on those topics that address the objectives outlined above. Be aware that if you print out this information, it will run over 25 pages. The reading is easy, and you should enjoy this article.

Hurlbert provides a short multiple choice test at the end of his web page. Try his questions to see if you've understand the material he's presented (some questions cover material not emphasized in Bio100/101).

Additional material on the nature of science is presented in our Lecture 1: Introduction to Biology. Please reacquaint yourself with this information, as it also addresses some of our objectives.

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