9781441196613 ch06 online

http://education.lewischandley.continuumbooks.com© Lizzy Lewis, Nick Chandley and Contributors (2012)

Philosophy for Children Through the Secondary Curriculum. London: Continuum

Statements

God created the universe.

There are eight planets in the solar system.

George Orwell’s 1984 is a great piece of literature.

Atoms are mostly empty space.

Water is made of molecules containing one oxygen atom and

two hydrogen atoms.

An acid added to a base makes a salt and water.

Friendship is important.

Philosophy for Children Through the Secondary Curriculum



Being in love releases chemicals in the brain that make you feel

good.

The universe was created during a big bang.

The Second World War lasted from 1939–45.

The highest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest.

Water boils below 100°C at the top of Mount Everest.



Chapter 6: Philosophical Questions and Concepts

Activity 1

What is science?

Which statements are scientific/non-scientific?

What makes a statement scientific?

Are scientific statements true forever?

Is the distinction between science and non-science clear-cut?

How are scientific statements different to other types of statement?

How are scientific ‘facts’ obtained?

Is science real?




Activity 2

Is there ‘more to seeing than meets the eyeball’ (Hanson, 1961)?

Can we know what we see is real?

Where does ‘seeing’ happen?

Does reality depend on the way it is observed?

Can it be said that an object has been ‘seen’ when the observation

has been made using expert equipment?Can discoveries/measurements made using expert equipment be

trusted?

Was it right for Wood to behave as he did?

What is honesty in science?

To what extent can phenomena invisible to the naked eye be

‘seen’?What is the relationship between what we believe and what we

see?Can experiments confirm theory?

Can scientists ever be considered independent, impartial or neutral

observers?Is it better to design an experiment to confirm or to disprove an

hypothesis?




Activity 3

Is it better to do an experiment to confirm a hypothesis or to

refute it?What makes a good hypothesis?

What makes a hypothesis scientific?

What is the connection between observation and hypothesis?

Is the simplest hypothesis always the best?




Activity 4

Is it possible to know about the past?

Is it possible to accept scientific and religious ideas at the same time?

How can theories about the origin of life on Earth be tested?

What makes a theory scientific?

Should scientific theories be given precedence over other theories?

What is authority in science/religion?




Activity 5

Is scientific knowledge ever proven?

Can science text books be trusted?

How do scientists know about the atom?

Is mathematical knowledge more certain than scientific knowledge?

Is it possible to know something that cannot be observed directly?

What is more important than friendship?

If it is not possible to measure/observe a system without changing it,

can we ever really know about it?Did the use of the atomic bomb save lives?

Can we be said to know something we are not certain of?

Are incorrect ideas useful?

What can a model tell us about reality?

Is Kekulé’s idea scientific?

How is it possible to know about something that can’t be experi-

enced directly?

Can Haber be held morally accountable for the deaths of those exe-

cuted with the gases he helped to produce?Are chemical weapons ‘worse’ than other weapons?

Can we weigh the benefits of Haber’s discovery against the lives of

those killed?Is nationality more important than religion?

Were Crick, Watson and Wilkins fair to Franklin?

Is it ever right to use someone’s work without their consent?

What makes a contribution to science important? Was Franklin’s

contribution as important as that of Crick, Watson and Wilkins?Is recognition for discovery important?

What makes a good scientist?

Does it matter if we are alone in the universe?

Is language universal?

Are humans justified in exploring/exploiting space?

Should humans try to contact extraterrestrial life?

What is life?

What does it mean to be immortal?

Who owns HeLa cells? Do you own your own cells?

Should historical figures/actions be judged using today’s standards?

Can knowledge be owned?




Questions that may arise from a consideration of ‘real’ science include:

When should the precautionary principle be applied?

Which experiments go too far (the Stanford prison experiment; the

trials in humans of TGN1412; genetic modification of plants and animals, military research)?Should researchers be allowed to use results from Nazi experiments?

Can scientific ideas be dangerous?

Does science deserve its authority?

Does knowledge justify the means of acquiring it?

Is all knowledge good?

To what extent are scientists free to study their subject of choice?




Activity 6

Is the development of lab chops fair on animals/farmers?

If I eat lab chops, can I be a vegetarian?

Is this meat?

Is the production of cultured meat more risky than conventional

food production?



Activity 7

Can a molecule be ‘bad’?

How can environmental problems be addressed fairly?

Does it matter if the Earth’s atmosphere changes?

Do people alive today have responsibilities to the next generation?

Should all nations be treated the same?

Is it ever justified to release new chemicals into the environment?

If CFCs could be ‘caught’, what should happen to them?



Activity 8

Is (insert name of chemical) the matter before you or something

else?How can the benefits of a chemical be weighed against the harm it

causes?Are some risks with respect to newly synthesized chemicals

justified?




Activity 9

What is a ‘species’?

Why do some species survive and others become extinct?

Are fossils sufficient evidence for the evolution of species?

Do all living organisms have a common ancestor?

How can we know about fossils?



Activity 1: Scientific or Not Scientific?

Trying to turn lead into gold using alchemy.

Hydrogen turning into helium by nuclear fusion inside stars

Turning uranium into lead inside a nuclear reactor

Making aspirin

Chewing on willow bark to reduce fever and inflammation

Testing aspirin on a group of people to see if it helps relieve pain

better than a sugar pillUsing leeches to help improve blood circulation during surgery

Treating headaches and fevers by tying a patient’s arm until the vein

swells, then cutting it to drain bloodA recent piece of practical work you have completed in science class



Theories for the Origin of Life

The building blocks of life were made in the early Earth’s atmosphere/

oceans.Life spontaneously generates from non-living materials.

Building blocks of life arrived on rocks from space (the Panspermia

theory).A divine creator made all forms of life in their present state.

The facilitator may ask the following questions: Is the theory scientific? Does it explain/predict? What evidence exists for this theory? How could you disprove it? What experiments could you do to test it? Is it contradictory to other ideas or with evidence? Is the simplest theory always the best?



Figure 6.5 Letter to Auntie Anna’s problem page



Philosopher’s Fruit Salad

Are you a vegetarian?

Are you a vegan?

Have you ever eaten quorn?

Do you think it is morally acceptable to eat meat?

Is it better to eat eggs from free range hens than battery hens?

Do you think it is ever acceptable to eat humans?

Is farming cruel?



Activity 8: Questions

What question would you most want to know the answer to before

the box was opened?What could it be that you would want to be around because it made

you healthier/happier, and so on?What would you least want to be around because it harmed you?

How does the concentration of the chemical affect how helpful/

harmful it is?



Activity 9: Definitions of Species

1. individuals that look alike,2. individuals that mate to produce fertile offspring,3. individuals that share common ancestors and have evolved sepa-

rately from others and4. species do not exist: labelling individual organisms is just classifica-

tion according to random criteria.



Activity 9: Examples

A bacteria made from synthetic DNA.

A goat–sheep chimera (geep) made by mixing goat and sheep

embryos: the animal has cells of goat and of sheep.Organisms that look alike but are genetically very different, and

which cannot sexually reproduce with each other, for example, the African bush elephant and the African elephant.Butterflies that look very different but that can mate, for example,

helioconius himera and helioconius erato.Species that reproduce asexually, for example, most species of bac-

teria reproduce asexually, many plants can reproduce asexually, as can some aphids.

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