Table 2.
Scientific worldview and elements of the NOS.
| Structure of worldview | Metaphysical mechanics | Dialectical materialism and elements of NOS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept schema (metaphysical belief), Know the world through the hierarchy of theoretical being. (belief rather than thinking) |
Knowledge must be absolutely certain. In principle, we can have a complete knowledge of all scientific laws [27]. (Mechanistic determinism) |
Knowledge is the belief that previous scientific theory should change into a larger domain by the integration between the observational domain and the theory. (Dialectical determinism) | (Empirical) (Tentative) |
| Epistemological value system is deduced from metaphysical belief. (Rational thinking) Through the rational thinking of our human beings, theoretical existence for phenomenon is inferred. |
When rationally inferring knowledge from the data, which are the output, comprehensiveness and simplicity, which are empirical accuracy and epistemic value are important. (Strong causationism) |
When rationally inferring knowledge from the data, which are the output, or to resolve the conflict between theories, economics such as simplicity, which is the minimum epistemic value, are involved. Socio-cultural value of the time, which is non- epistemic value, influence the knowledge production and selection. (Weak principle of causality) | (Theory-Laden), (The distinction between Observations & Inference), (socially and culturally embedded) |
|
Research method and calculated laws and theories are linked to value systems and metaphysical belief. Laws and theories produced by reasoning, and phenomena produced by those theories |
Inductive method and hypothesis-deductive method | Human creativity plays a more important role than any specific scientific methodology. | (No single Method), (Creativity), (Laws and theories) |
| Newtonian mechanics, theory of relativity | Darwin's theory of evolution, Quantum mechanics, |
Output through rational reasoning | |
| The spirit of the times or behavior | The universe is a fixed and deterministic world. | The universe continues to evolve, but it is a predictable world. | (Socially and culturally embedded) |