The scientific method is an extremely useful method that allows science to progress. However, it is not acceptable for all types of questions. The scientific method uses a series of steps to investigate a phenomena. The steps are 1. Ask a question. 2. Conduct background research, 3. Develop a hypothesis. 4. Test the hypothesis. 5. Analyze the data. 6. Communicate the findings (results) to others. Science requires that the experiment be repeated as well. This method is excellent for questions that have empirical data associated with them. However, there are a number of questions that do not.
The classic example is “Does God exist?” This cannot be answered via the scientific method. It is impossible to test the hypothesis. One can clearly do background research on the subject; there are obviously plenty of books written about God. However, there is no way to actually test if God exists. One might say that “If lightning strikes the ground in front of me, it is proof that God exists.” However, it might also be proof that God does not exist. There is no way to actually determine if the results of the experiment would be confirmation or lack of confirmation about the existence of God.
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A person cannot also determine the ethically correct thing to do by using the scientific method. There are medical cases in which a person on life support is removed. The person cannot state what his or her wishes are. One cannot support the notion that the person would or would not want to be removed if there is no evidence to support it. This is why hospitals have ethics committees. While science and medicine function off the basis of empirical evidence, some cases lack empirical evidence. The Terri Schiavo case that drew national publicity is one such well-known case. Science could not declare if she would or would not want to be alive. Therefore, ethics and the legal system needed to make the decision instead. This is why various fields must work together and respect each other.
