Scientific Thinking

Robert M. Martin

Mar 1997 · Broadview Press

About this ebook

Scientific Thinking is a practical guide to inductive reasoning—the sort of reasoning that is commonly used in scientific activity, whether such activity is performed by a scientist, a reporter, a political pollster, or any one of us in day-to-day life. The book provides comprehensive coverage of such topics as confirmation, sampling, correlations, causality, hypotheses, and experimental methods. Martin’s writing confounds those who would think that such topics must be dry-as-dust, presenting ideas in a lively and engaging tone and incorporating amusing examples throughout. This book underlines the importance of acquiring good habits of scientific thinking, and helps to instill those habits in the reader. Stimulating questions and exercises are included in each chapter.

About the author

Robert M. Martin is Professor of Philosophy (retired), Dalhousie University. His other books include The Philosopher’s Dictionary and There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book – Revised and Expanded (Again).