CBSE Book Class 11 Philosophy Observation and Experiment

Observation and Experiment

Observation :

An Introduction

Science is primarily based on observation and experiment, guided by reason. Observation and experiment, thus, are two indispensable stages in the formation of any scientific theory. Observation is a procedure whereby senses generate information about an object. It is a process of filtering sensory information. Hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch are the sources of observation and experimentation. It is through these sensory inputs that an inductive generalization is eventually established.

Diagrammatically, it can be represented in the following manner:

Sense-organs Observation Experimentation Data Inductive

Generalization

Meaning of the term 'observation’

The term 'observation' is derived from 'ob' meaning before, and the term 'servare' meaning 'to keep'. Literally speaking, the term means "keeping something before the mind". Thus, the first process in Scientific Method involves the observation of a phenomenon, event or 'problem'. However, it does not mean perceiving things in a careless or casual manner as we do sometimes in our day today life. Observation leads to a question that needs to be answered to satisfy human curiosity about the observation, such as why or how this event happened or what it is like. For example, when I see a shadow passing through my room while I am taking class, I conclude that it must be our watchful school principal who is taking round to see whether classes are being held or not. Later, after the class on examination I find that it was the college electrician who had come to fix fans in the room, seeing room occupied he left in hurry. Thus, careless or casual perception cannot make up for the observation in the strict logical sense of the term.

There is another possibility of error against which we must guard ourselves. Though observation plays a vital role in the formation of scientific laws but all kinds of observation is not our concern. Only those observations excite us intellectually which are worthy of some purpose. My seeing a tall building,

hearing an auto sound and other endless observations which I perceive ever since I start my day, do not serve any purpose as they are routine happenings. In Induction we are concerned with an observation which has a definite purpose, aim or objective. As we have a purpose in those observations, our scientific inquiries proceed without much ado. Such purposive observations involve witnessing both regularities and irregularities and when examined seriously, they lead to successful results. For example, if we wish to ascertain the cause of dengue fever, we observe and examine various cases, separate the common factors from the uncommon ones. In the course of observation we neglect the uncommon factors and concentrate on those common factors and make the generalization that lowering down significantly of platelets in blood due to mosquito bite, is the cause of dengue fever.

Observation must be distinguished from hasty generalization. A single case of observation cannot lead to any generalization. If I see a single case of my friend who dies after taking disprin with soft drink, then I arrive at a generalization that 'disprin when taken with soft drink leads to death', such is an instance of hasty generalization. In hasty generalization we make some observation in haste and draw wrong results; whereas in observation we are very attentive and cautious. Observation necessarily assumes familiarity with lots of empirical data required to form a generalization. Paucity of empirical data makes the observation ineffective and the generalization fallacious. For example, in a dark room I see a shadow of a statute from which I conclude that there is a man in my room. In this case, I do not see a man but someone like a man, someone who shares some of the characteristics of a man. From this seeming similarity I make a generalization and pass a wrong judgement that there is a man in my room. We do the same in the example of mistaking a rope as a snake.

General Principles of Observation

Observation is a mean of discovering underlying assumptions, rules and principles which are important for the process of Induction. Though there is no clear and precise set of rules to be followed in every act of observation, yet some general principles can be stated. These general principles can broadly be classified under three headings:

(i) Intellectual

(ii) Physical

(iii) Moral

(i) This condition requires that the observer must be keen to know the cause of things and its explanation. Just as an appetite for food is natural to the body in the same manner curiosity to know is natural to a healthy sound mind. This desire to know is essential for observation.

(ii) This principle requires that to begin with an observation, the observer must be in possession of normal senses. That is so say, any deficiency in senses hinders observation and makes all explanations incomplete. For example, a blind person cannot make observation about colors or a deaf person cannot make any observation about sounds. This is also true that a person who is normal can also make errors. Anybody can fall victim to optical illusions. It is a common sight that while sitting in a train which is parked parallel to another train, one sees that this train is moving and the other is still stationary whereas the truth is just the opposite. As normal senses too have limited powers various aids are developed to enhance human powers of observation, such as weighing scales, telescopes, microscopes, X-ray machines etc. The list of accompanying aids is endless and they are still getting added to the existing list.

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