.png){kind=icon}
This is Science! (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/people/jlipps/science.html)
In this 12-page essay, UC Berkeley biologist Jere Lipps lucidly describes the nature of science. Particularly useful are tables showing the skills involved in critical thinking and evidential reasoning, which are the backbone of scientific inquiry.
ScienceBlogs (http://scienceblogs.com/)
This fascinating site was created to provide a dialogue about science and the contemporary world. Contributors from a wide array of scientific disciplines debate new scientific insights and discoveries and the interplay between science and politics, religion, philosophy, business, and the arts. In February 2017, there were posts on the politicization of science and the scheduled March for Science, to take place on Earth Day in Washington, DC, a study showing that food packaging contains chemicals harmful to human health and the environment, and resources for debunking and learning about climate change deniers.
Veritasium (https://www.youtube.com/user/1veritasium)
As described in the site trailer, “Vertasium is a science video blog featuring experiments, expert interviews, cool demos, and discussions with the public about everything science.” In a January 2015 video blog “Why Technology Fails to Revolutionize Education,” Derek Miller offers his thoughts on why technology in the classroom does not enhance learning. Other videos include “Can Silence Actually Drive You Crazy” and “The Most Radioactive Places on Earth.”
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (http://www.aaas.org/)
Publisher of the journal Science, AAAS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world for the benefit of all people. The home site includes links for educators and students, although many of the resources are for teaching science in grades K-12. A useful link is the AAAS Policy and Public Statements page, which contains links to statements on such topics as climate change, stem cell research, and the civil dialogue between science and religion.
Science Is Not About Certainty (http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118655/theoretical-phyisicist-explains-why-science-not-about-certainty)
In this essay on the nature of science, the author underscores an important conclusion of Chapter 2 about the nature of science: “Science is not about certainty.” As the author notes, “The very expression ‘scientifically proven’ is a contradiction in terms.” Although current scientific knowledge may be effective, it is basically the best and most credible knowledge we have so far, and any part of it is open for revision.
iLogic (http://www.butte.edu/~wmwu/iLogic/iLogic.html)
A free online textbook on introductory logic, this resource provides an excellent overview of deduction and induction, among other topics. Section 1.3, Deduction and Induction (Go to the Table of Contents) provides concise definitions and examples of deductive and inductive arguments, and discussions of validity and soundness, strength and reliability, and proof versus confirmation, followed by two sets of exercises to test the readers’ understanding.