Natural Science: Science and Society

Content Knowledge
Comprehend
• That scientific theories and knowledge are not absolute and should be questioned and challenged meaning:
o New theories will continue to replace current or older ones
o Theories must stand up to the scrutiny of the scientific community
o Theories required validation through reproduction and internal consistency
• Way in which science and technology influence each other in how:
o Scientific methods and the knowledge they produce may influence how people think about themselves and their world
o Technology can contribute to the solution of an individual or community problem
o Social and economic forces influence the types of science and technology programs pursued, invested in, and used
• How science involves different types of work in various disciplines for instance:
o The use of different questions, methods and evidence based on the investigation approach and discipline
o The contributions form various disciplines required to complete an investigation
o Through the meeting of disciplines, the creation of new scientific branches such as geophysics and molecular biology
• The history of how some generally accepted scientific ideas faced difficulties when convincing contemporaries
• That a host of perplexing new problems is generated by our society’s new powers
• Technology systematically uses materials, energy, and information to design, build, maintain and operate devices, processes
and systems with the goal of serving individual and societal human needs
• The interactions between science and technology which have led to refined tools and the means for a safer, more comfortable
life for more people
• How new scientific understanding and methods are based on certain criteria established among the scientific community. These
criteria include:
o Arguments which are logical and demonstrate consistency between natural phenomena revealed by investigators and
the historical body of scientific evidence
o A set of methods and procedures used to obtain evidence that is clearly reported and reproducible to enhance
opportunities fro further investigation
Standards for Success (S4S)
Natural Science: Science and Society
Successful students:
A. Understand the scientific enterprise