Anton E. Lawson
Department of Biology
Arizona State University

Abstract

This paper offers a resolution to the debate between constructivists and realists regarding the epistemological status of human knowledge. Evidence in the form of three case studies and one experimental study is presented. The conclusion drawn is that knowledge acquisition involves a pattern of idea (representation) generation and test that, when cast in the form of a verbal argument, follows an If/then/Therefore pattern. Self-generated ideas/representations are tested by comparing expected and observed outcomes. Ideas may be retained or rejected, but can not be proved or disproved. Therefore, absolute Truth about any and all ideas, including the idea that the external world exists, is unattainable. Yet learning at all levels above the sensory-motor requires that one assume the independent existence of the external world because only then can the behavior of the objects in that world be used to test subsequent higher-order ideas. In the final analysis, ideas - including scientific hypotheses and theories - stand or fall, not due to social negotiation, but due to their ability to predict future events. Although the knowledge acquisition process has limitations, its use nevertheless results in increasingly useful representations about an assumed to exist external world as evidenced by technological progress that is undeniably based on sound scientific theory. The primary instructional implication is that science instruction should remain committed to helping students understand the crucial role played by hypotheses, predictions and evidence in learning.

The full article is available at the Science and Education website.