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| public:t-709-aies-2025:aies-2025:intro [2025/08/18 17:27] – thorisson | public:t-709-aies-2025:aies-2025:intro [2025/08/18 17:34] (current) – thorisson |
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| ===== SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS ===== | \\ |
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| | ==== Fields of Research ==== |
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| | | Philosophy | A systematic investigation into any phenomenon. \\ Fundamental motivation: Deepened understanding of our place in the universe. \\ Fundamental driving principle: Human reasoning and creativity. \\ Fundamental organizing principle: Schools of thought; methods of reasoning. \\ //When you hardly know anything about a phenomenon, yet insist on getting to the bottom of it, philosophizing gets you started.// | |
| | | Science | A systematic investigation into phenomena in the natural world susceptible to physical experimentation. \\ Fundamental motivation: Reliable knowledge of the world. \\ Fundamental driving principle: Induction. \\ Fundamental organizing principle: Controlled comparative experiment. \\ //When you embark on improving your understanding of a phenomenon with measurable/quantifiable variables, through comparative experiments, you are applying the **scientific method** ("doing science").// \\ "Expanding the model for deepening knowledge." | |
| | | Engineering | Effort to construct things using relevant knowledge (often state-of-the-art scientific models/theories - see below), systematic methods, and relevant technology. \\ Fundamental motivation: Control of human environment. \\ Fundamental principle: Design. \\ Fundamental organizing principle: Methodical application of known procedures and methods. \\ //When you embark on changing or improving any aspect of your environment, working towards the implementation of a well-defined end product, through an application of best known practices, you are doing engineering.// | |
| | | Technology | The output of engineering. \\ Methods, aparati, and techniques for getting things done. Fundamental principle: Composition, design, engineering. \\ "Applying the model to get things done." | |
| | | Cognitive Science | The study of natural intelligence, in particular human (and that found in nature). | |
| | | Mathematics | A systematic study of quantity, numbers, patterns, and their relationships. Fundamental principle: Deduction. \\ //When you embark on clarifying the behavior and nature of quantifiable domains, using axiomatic rules and proofs, you are doing mathematics.// | |
| | | Causal Relations | A relation between two entities that makes one predictable from the other. \\ // Deduction (deriving side-effects): If I flip the light switch, the lights will shine. \\ Abduction (bringing about change): If I want the light to shine, I can flip the light switch. // | |
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| | ===== SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS ===== |
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| | Theory (isl. kenning) | "A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena." [[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=theory|REF]] \\ A theory is a relatively big explanation, covering several phenomena, often through a single principle, or a set of simple principles. | | | Theory (isl. kenning) | "A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena." [[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=theory|REF]] \\ A theory is a relatively big explanation, covering several phenomena, often through a single principle, or a set of simple principles. | |
| | | Occam's Razor | A good scientific theory cannot be simplified; it is the shortest and most accurate explanation of a phenomenon. Einstein is quoted as saying: "A theory should be as simple as possible, but not simpler". | |
| | Hypothesis (isl. tilgáta) | Is a prediction about the relationship between a limited set of phenomena, typically formulated as measurable variables, as explained by a particular theory. | | | Hypothesis (isl. tilgáta) | Is a prediction about the relationship between a limited set of phenomena, typically formulated as measurable variables, as explained by a particular theory. | |
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| | The scientific method is independent of topic... | One can study **any phenomenon** with the scientific method, including claims of telepathy; selection of topic is independent of method -- there is nothing inherently "unscientific" about studying any subject. (Close-mindedness //is//, however, very unscientific.) \\ In other words, given that science gets us the most reliable ("best") knowledge to build on at any time, we should take it seriously. But not so seriously as to exclude the possibility that it's wrong. (Because in fact we already know that **all** scientific knowledge is wrong -- i.e. every scientific theory to date has limits to its scope that we know of.) | | | The scientific method is independent of topic... | One can study **any phenomenon** with the scientific method, including claims of telepathy; selection of topic is independent of method -- there is nothing inherently "unscientific" about studying any subject. (Close-mindedness //is//, however, very unscientific.) \\ In other words, given that science gets us the most reliable ("best") knowledge to build on at any time, we should take it seriously. But not so seriously as to exclude the possibility that it's wrong. (Because in fact we already know that **all** scientific knowledge is wrong -- i.e. every scientific theory to date has limits to its scope that we know of.) | |
| | How can we trust our knowledge? | The scientific method is a **General Way of Producing Trustworthy Knowledge.** It is independent of topic. Therefore, it can also be used for AI systems. (In fact, it can easily be argued that something very similar to the scientific method is happening when humans learn cumulatively -- with a few caveats that we will carefully cover in this course.) | | | How can we trust our knowledge? | The scientific method is a **General Way of Producing Trustworthy Knowledge.** It is independent of topic. Therefore, it can also be used for AI systems. (In fact, it can easily be argued that something very similar to the scientific method is happening when humans learn cumulatively -- with a few caveats that we will carefully cover in this course.) | |
| | | Deduction | The cognitive act of following preconceived rules to their inevitable implication. // Example: All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Hence, Socrates is mortal. // | |
| | | Induction | The cognitive act of generalizing from experience. //Example: Socrates is a man. Socrates died. Hence, all men will die.// | |
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| | A scientific theory **explains** ("tells a coherent story") | A good scientific theory explains how data are related. | | | A scientific theory **explains** ("tells a coherent story") | A good scientific theory explains how data are related. | |
| | A Scientific Theory Gives **the Bigger Picture** | A good scientific theory relates together, in a coherent way, some part of the world -- in general the bigger the part, the better the theory. | | | A Scientific Theory Gives **the Bigger Picture** | A good scientific theory relates together, in a coherent way, some part of the world -- in general the bigger the part, the better the theory. | |
| | Occam's Razor | A good scientific theory cannot be simplified; it is the shortest and most accurate explanation of a phenomenon. Einstein is quoted as saying: "A theory should be as simple as possible, but not simpler". | | |
| | A Scientific Theory can be **disproven** | To count as "scientific" a theory //must// be disprovable. For this there must exist some measures and actions that are //possible// (in theory, but better yet, practice) whose results would possibly -- should the measurements come out a particular way -- disprove the theory. \\ Applying this criterion strictly means that //all scientific theories to date have been disproven -- i.e. proven incorrect (another way to say this is that we can find the **limits** of a theory through experimentation).// \\ This is a //feature// of science (not a bug): Exposing the limits of our theories by demonstrating in which contexts they are incorrect allows us to come up with better theories. | | | A Scientific Theory can be **disproven** | To count as "scientific" a theory //must// be disprovable. For this there must exist some measures and actions that are //possible// (in theory, but better yet, practice) whose results would possibly -- should the measurements come out a particular way -- disprove the theory. \\ Applying this criterion strictly means that //all scientific theories to date have been disproven -- i.e. proven incorrect (another way to say this is that we can find the **limits** of a theory through experimentation).// \\ This is a //feature// of science (not a bug): Exposing the limits of our theories by demonstrating in which contexts they are incorrect allows us to come up with better theories. | |
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| ==== Fields of Research ==== | |
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| | Philosophy | A systematic investigation into any phenomenon. \\ Fundamental motivation: Deepened understanding of our place in the universe. \\ Fundamental driving principle: Human reasoning and creativity. \\ Fundamental organizing principle: Schools of thought; methods of reasoning. \\ //When you hardly know anything about a phenomenon, yet insist on getting to the bottom of it, philosophizing gets you started.// | | |
| | Induction | The cognitive act of generalizing from experience. //Example: Socrates is a man. Socrates died. Hence, all men will die.// | | |
| | Science | A systematic investigation into phenomena in the natural world susceptible to physical experimentation. \\ Fundamental motivation: Reliable knowledge of the world. \\ Fundamental driving principle: Induction. \\ Fundamental organizing principle: Controlled comparative experiment. \\ //When you embark on improving your understanding of a phenomenon with measurable/quantifiable variables, through comparative experiments, you are applying the **scientific method** ("doing science").// | | |
| | Engineering | Effort to construct things using relevant knowledge (often state-of-the-art scientific models/theories - see below), systematic methods, and relevant technology. \\ Fundamental motivation: Control of human environment. \\ Fundamental principle: Design. \\ Fundamental organizing principle: Methodical application of known procedures and methods. \\ //When you embark on changing or improving any aspect of your environment, working towards the implementation of a well-defined end product, through an application of best known practices, you are doing engineering.// | | |
| | Cognitive Science | The study of natural intelligence, in particular human (and that found in nature). | | |
| | Artificial Intelligence | The study of how to make intelligent machines. | | |
| | Technology | Tools and techniques for getting things done. Fundamental principle: Composition, design, engineering. | | |
| | Deduction | The cognitive act of following preconceived rules to their inevitable implication. // Example: All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Hence, Socrates is mortal. // | | |
| | Mathematics | A systematic study of quantity, numbers, patterns, and their relationships. Fundamental principle: Deduction. \\ //When you embark on clarifying the behavior and nature of quantifiable domains, using axiomatic rules and proofs, you are doing mathematics.// | | |
| | Causal Relations | A relation between two entities that makes one predictable from the other. \\ // Deduction (deriving side-effects): If I flip the light switch, the lights will shine. \\ Abduction (bringing about change): If I want the light to shine, I can flip the light switch. // | | |
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