Science Under Siege

In this text, the author asserts that there exist general principles of scientific method pervading all science, but excessive specialization has caused scientists to forget their significance. These principles include deductive and inductive logic, parsimony and hypothesis testing. The author explains that neither specialized techniques nor general principles can substitute for each other, but rather the winning combination for scientists is the mastery of both. The text argues that scientists can become more creative, more productive and better scientists by understanding the scientific method more clearly.