Science

• Throughout history, science has been a catalyst for progress and change.

SUGGESTED REFLECTION QUESTION

• What has been the role of science in history?

Scientific Theories

• Scientific theories are our most educated guesses about the world–based on all available data and accepted theories thus far.
• Scientific theories are tested ways of making sense of the available data, but should be open to revision, fine-tuning, and even outright correction.
• Science is a process of piecing together all the available and disparate data and formulating a tentative explanation for phenomena. 

SUGGESTED REFLECTION QUESTION

• What do the historical changes in scientific theories tell us about how science works?

The Scientific Method

• Science is a self-corrective enterprise.
• Every theory proven wrong calls for celebration of new scientific discoveries.
  
  SUGGESTED REFLECTION QUESTIONS
• How is scientific knowledge generated and validated?
• Can science provide the answers to all our problems and questions?

Physics & Chemistry

• The observable universe is made of 120 known elements. We can manipulate these elements based on reactivity to produce different products (from S. Benge, St. Ignatius School, Auckland, New Zealand).

Body Systems

• Form follows function. The different body systems perform unique yet interdependent functions.
  
  SUGGESTED REFLECTION QUESTION
• How are form and function related in nature?

Biological Evolution

• The survival of a species is determined not only by competition but also by cooperation.
• In biological evolution, form follows function: natural selection allows for the advantageous traits of a species to be passed on to future generations.
  
  SUGGESTED REFLECTION QUESTION
• In what way does Darwin’s theory of biological evolution help us understand how nature is designed?
• Darwin’s theory of the evolution of species does not eliminate the possibility of a Creator. For believers, it suggests a possible natural process of creation.
• God works no less actively through the laws of nature. 
  
  SUGGESTED REFLECTION QUESTION
• In what way does Darwin’s theory of evolution impact one’s belief in creation and a Creator, if at all?

Correlation

• Correlation does not necessarily mean causation. Just because there is a relationship between two variables does not mean that one causes the other. It means that there may be other factors influencing the data.

Environment

• The way we treat nature will influence the way nature treats us.
• We are suffering the consequences from the actions of past generations; we are responsible for the situation of future generations.
• Every living being is connected somehow; we are all affected. by what happens to other life forms on Earth.
• Environmental changes (deforestation, siltation, pollution) usually cause imbalance in ecosystems and influence society and the life of living beings (survival, death, migration).
• The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth.
• The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
• All subsystems are interconnected: the biosphere, the hydrosphere, the geosphere, the atmosphere. What affects one, affects all.