Scientific knowledge is tentative and is subjected to constant revision. Why so?

Question

What makes scientific knowledge tentative, and how does it change with constant revision?

Answer 1

Science is the summation of everything we know about the natural world. We are forever learning new things, so science changes to reflect this new knowledge.

Contrary to popular misconception, existing science is very rarely "proved wrong" by new discoveries, merely expanded upon. For example, Einstein did not invalidate Newton's theories, but rather gave us new ways of looking at the world that went beyond the limitations of Newton. Newtonian physics is still perfectly valid, within certain limits, and is in constant use.

Answer 2

What is meant by scientific knowledge is a difficult question discussed at length by philosophers of science. The view that makes the most sense to me is that scientific knowledge is knowledge that comes from the process of doing science. By knowledge here I mean true justified belief. Whatever the problems with that definition in epistemology, I think it is sensible here, as the meaning of knowledge in science is as vague and error prone as that definition. By doing science, I mean the methods of practicioners, being experiments and rigorous theories with a willingness to throw out beliefs that fail in light of new discoveries, but still basing new ideas on the best existing practices. As to the limits of scientific knowledge, there are experiments that cannot be performed. We cannot, for example, ever see any past events that are time-like separated from us. That is to say events that occurred long enough ago that the light from those events already reached and passed us. We may be able to know certain things about them, but we cannot observe them. However, other contemporaneous events that happened further away can be observed, as it takes the light longer to reach us. We also cannot affect anything too far away from us in too short a period of time. Many would point to the uncertainty principle, but that doesn't so much say what we cannot know, as it does say what facts don't exist. However, to a certain extent, you can say you cannot know facts that don't exist. For example, the future is unsettled, and therefore fundamentally unpredictable. Also in the realm of uncertainty, you cannot know certain counterfactuals, such as what the position of a particle would have been if you hadn't measured it, because the answer is still unsettled. There are others, but those are the first ones that come to mind.

Answer 3

There is something called the "Scientific Method". Goes like this. First, a question. Next, a hypothesis, a "maybe" answer to the question. Next, an experiment to test the hypothesis. Is it right? If all goes according to history, the experiment may prove the hypothesis true or false, but also will show up something unexpected. Another question. And on and on it goes.

Answer 4

Because scientists are not the egomaniacs they are made out to be. When a theory is set forth, the scientists must plainly state the criteria that would convince us the theory is false. Once a theory is found to be false, science moves on to the next theory, always in search of the best (not perfect) way to view the natural world.

Many non-scientific world views hinge on elaborate schemes for NOT denying a supposition when evidence points against it.

Answer 5

The overal answer is very simple, mostly described in one word...."discovery"! read history, it's a fascinating thing. Knowledge is power. also it's kinda like the second amendmen. a man with a gun is a citizen, a man without a gun is a subject, and history has proven this so every time. confiscate weapons and within 20 years you have a dictatorship. every time! we don't need anymore world wars or two-bit jerk dictators

Answer 6

As we learn more, we have more answers to more questions, only to bring up more questions to be answered, so we have to have revisions from what we have learned. We now know what was scientific fact in 1900 just isn't true today.

Answer 7

because sometimes, if you're lucky, you know you're wrong