The Subject, Logic of Scientific Research

Philosophy is a typical subject of liberal arts. Logic is a part of philosophy; either at undergraduate or graduate level, it is taught by professors in the Department of Philosophy, unless there is a Department of Logic at the particular college. For the purpose of delimiting the scope of this book, we may act as if philosophy were unrelated to experimental research, but there is a contradic­tion in this. Logic, which is an essential aspect of experimental research, is the medium used in philosophizing, and few persons planning research careers in science and technology take logic as a subject of study; this is unfortunate.

When I was a college student, like many others, I did not know that research work involved logic. When thought was required for research, either in planning an experiment or analyz­ing the results, I relied on common sense, often backed by the experience of my peers and advisors. Now I know that it was an unfortunate situation that logic was not a required course and that I was not told by my advisors, who themselves had not stud­ied logic, about its benefits. I also know now that the language of scientific research, as well as the process of reasoning, is similar to the language of logic. My research would have been easier, and more fruitful and elegant, if I had the help that could come from the study of logic. I strongly recommend to people planning careers in scientific research, either experimental or theoretical, to take a course or two in logic as a part of their preparation. There are many excellent texts in logic and advanced logic for self-study or for those who missed the chance in college. The most that can be done in this book is to introduce in this chapter a few terms that the reader may encounter in his or her research career, terms that are common currency in logic. Later chapters will introduce the modes and methods of reasoning relative to analysis of exper­imental results.

Even before approaching the terms, let us first look at some of the definitions of the subject “logic”; three taken at random follow:

1. “The science whose chief end is to ascertain the principles on which all valid reasoning depends, and which may be applied as tests of the legitimacy of every conclusion that is drawn from premises.”
2. “Logic is the study of methods and principles used to distinguish good (correct) from bad (incorrect) reasoning. . . . This definition must not be taken to imply that only the student of logic can reason well or correctly. . . . But given the same native intelligence, a person who has studied logic is more likely to reason correctly than one who has never thought about the general principles involved in that activity.”
3. “The laws of logic supply the skeleton or framework within which the test of coherence applies. . . Coherence cannot be accepted as giving the meaning of truth though it is often the most important test of truth after a certain amount of truth has been known.”3

These definitions may be incomplete and not fully satisfac­tory, but together, they provide the idea of what the subject of logic is about. Needless to say, a career in science involves the rea­soning of others and often the reasoning of oneself, hence, the help that one can get from the study of logic.

Source: Srinagesh K (2005), The Principles of Experimental Research, Butterworth-Heinemann; 1st edition.