Applying the Scientific Method

(Proverbs 26:27 KJV)  Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

I teach history.  In spite of that I tell people that one of the most important concepts for people to learn is the scientific method.  Why?  Because you can apply it to every academic discipline and to all aspects of life.  It is a great tool for thinking and making decisions.

To laymen and dishonest scientists the scientific method is sometimes portrayed as a one time thing.  You have an idea.  You state your hypothesis.  You test it and get results.  Task done, right?  The debate over global warming is over, right?  Wrong.  This is an unending cycle because you take what you learned in that one test and apply it to still unanswered questions.  You require someone else to run the same test and see if they get the same results. 

You make future decisions based on past results, not on the dreams that motivated the experiment. 

So?  Have you fallen into your own pit or been hit by your own loose cannonball?  Benefit from the experience and try something different.  That seems obvious but it must not be because most of us keep doing the same things and wondering, “What happened?”