Science is the best way to answer questions, explain causal relationships in nature, and test
the effectiveness of treatments. Do you agree with this statement? Take a position and
defend it.
Note: Please use scholarly articles.
The Value of Science
Quite a number of problems that people face in their daily lives are solved through
science. In addition, people often rely on information obtained from scientific research to make
decisions. However, the important role that science plays in daily lives of individuals has become
a controversial issue that requires a comprehensive analysis and precise judgment for a common
idea to be developed. Individuals have varied opinions concerning whether science is the most
appropriate way for answering questions, explaining natural causal relationships, and testing
whether treatments are effective or not. Personally, I do agree that “science is the best way to
answer questions, explain causal relationships in nature, and test the effectiveness of treatments.”
Science is the most preferred way to answer questions that may take long before their
solutions can be obtained. Precisely, scientific experimentation is the best way through which
research questions are always answered. This argument is widely supported by existence of a
large volume of scientific studies which have successfully been used to answer research
questions (Tofade, Elsner and Haines, 2013). According to Riva, Malik, Burnie, Endicott, and
Busse (2012), the first experience that scientists normally have with the research community
often involves development of a research question. The research question that is developed at the
initial stage of interaction between a scientist and the research community is always meant to
THE VALUE OF SCIENCE 2
guide the scientific research process, and it must be answered at the end of the study. In this
regard, through scientific experimentation, a researcher finds it very easy to generate accurate
answers for questions that may arise at the beginning of the research process (Riva et. al., 2012;
& Tofade, Elsner and Haines, 2013).
Science provides the best way for explaining causal relationships that occur in nature.
This is because through science, it is possible to gain a deep understanding of how a given
natural occurrence is influenced by another event (Yin and Yao, 2016). As Matute, Blanco,
Yarritu, Diaz-Lago, Vadillo, and Barberia (2015) explain, false impressions of causality
commonly occur when individuals assume that certain events have an influence on others based
on their own beliefs. Yin and Yao, (2016) further asserts that such misapprehensions are based
on pseudoscience and can result into severe impacts in relation to a number of real life areas. For
this reason, the best way to solve illusions which surround causality between or among events is
through scientific thinking. The significant role that science plays in elucidating causal
relationships in nature explains why scientists emphasize on the need to teach learners how to
apply scientific thinking in decision making. Ideally, science is the best way to analyze the
relationship among events, and the nature of influence that those events have on one another
(Matute et al., 2015).
The effectiveness of treatments is best tested through science. This argument is best
supported by what happens in clinical trials in relation to effectiveness of drugs and
psychological interventions. According to Singal, Higgins, and Waljee (2014), studies which are
conducted with the aim of determining efficacy and effectiveness of drugs and psychological
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interventions normally follow stringent scientific guidelines. For this reason, science generates
relevant data on effectiveness of treatments, which are used for decision-making in several areas
including finance, business, and healthcare (Blanco, Rafful, and Olfson, 2013; & National Center
for Biotechnology Information. (2017). Based on these explanations, professionals in different
fields should understand that science is the best way through which questions are answered,
causal relationships in nature are explained, and effectiveness of treatments are tested.
References
Blanco, C., Rafful, C. & Olfson, M. (2013). The use of clinical trials in comparative
effectiveness research on mental health. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 66(8): S29-36.
Matute, H., Blanco, F., Yarritu, I., Diaz-Lago, M., Vadillo, M. & Barberia, I. (2015). Illusions of
causality: How they bias our everyday thinking and how they can be reduced. Frontiers
in Psychology, 6: 888.
National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2017). Clinical trial. What is your research
question? An introduction to the PICOT format for clinicians. The Journal of the
Canadian Chiropractic Association, 56(3): 167-171.
Singal. A. G, Higgins, P. R. & Waljee, A. (2014). A primer of effectiveness and efficacy of
trials. Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, 5(1): e45.
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Tofade, T., Elsner, J. & Haines, S. T. (2013). Best practice strategies for effective use of
questions as a teaching tool. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 77(7): 155.
Yin, Y. & Yao, D. (2016). Causal inference based on the analysis of events of relations for non-
stationary variables. Scientific Reports, 6: 29192.