CHAPTER ABSTRACT

In this chapter, we define science in relation to the search for knowledge and proceed to discuss the basic assumptions of science, its aims, and the roles of methodology. We define the scientific approach by its assumptions about nature and experience and by its methodology as a set of tools for communication, reasoning, and intersubjectivity. We then discuss the ideas of scientific revolutions and discoveries. Last, we present a model of the research process, the stages of which are discussed throughout this book.