Descartes’ Method: The Scientific Method

Here’s what you were looking for. This is a slightly more expanded version of the Scientific Method, but still correct.

1) Consider the problem at hand and look to your experience for viable solutions.

2) Deduce a possible solution that can be used to form a viable hypothesis.

3)Form a hypothesis that can explain a possible solution to the problem. This is very similar to forming a thesis statement in an argumentative essay.

4)Experimentation: Form some kind of experiment that can prove or disprove your hypothesis. This includes forming a control (placebo) group and making direct comparisons to the experimental group.

5)Conclusion: you should be able to deduce some kind of conclusion from your experiment. Did it prove or disprove your hypothesis?

6)Pose  an alternate hypothesis: A good scientist will try to test multiple viable hypotheses at the same time to eliminate as many variables as possible. If the experiment was unsuccessful, then an alternate hypothesis is almost required.

Advertisement