Everyone likes to know things. It could be so you could bring up random facts around your friends just to impress them. It could be because of the great feeling you get when you finally understand something. Thus this is the reason why we all have an interest in science.
We all want to expand our knowledge and improve our understanding of the world around us. There are multiple ways of becoming an expert in science. It could be reading up a lot of books or taking the internet route to research the subject online. You could even get an online computer science degree as well.
In this article, you will learn about how to improve your thinking abilities and get better at learning about the world around you.
Read, Read and Read
Reading is one of the best ways to learn about the world around you. To develop a better understanding of how science works, one has to first learn about people who are experts. One of the best things one can do is to learn about the different methodologies used in the different sciences is to read books written by scientists in the past.
So what you need to do is to think about something that you like. If you think that something about that intrigues you then you are already on your way to becoming an expert at science. This is because curiosity is something you can develop over time. And science is all about the satisfaction of human curiosity. If you are interested in why magnets work, or why a certain type of insect displays a certain behavior, get a book on it.
Reading is one of the important ways that one can develop in mastering the abilities. This is because the individuals expressing their ideas (i.e. the writer or scientist) will be using terminologies and certain words that will allow you to better understand the phenomenons that you were thinking about. This will then help you in looking upon the terms you are not aware of or finding other books on those terms until you can start your journey on your own.
Scientists like Neil Degrasse Tyson (a mathematician) and experts like Sam Harris (Neuroscientist) have provided access to their books and podcasts online. Reading the books they write and the way they write it will help you find the field of study that you are passionate about.
Question Everything
Building your curiosity and feeding is one of the most integral steps scientists take. If Isaac newton did not question the reason behind the infamous theory of apple falling on his head, then he never would have come across the concept of gravity. Questioning the everyday happenings around you will make you push yourself to do experiments and research. For example, either with people or with the insects outside or indeed even questioning how your fan works. Questioning these happenings will allow you to build and feed your curiosity. The more you feed and build onto your curiosity the more drive you will have to find answers. And that is what Science is all about. Finding answers all around you. Learning about concepts that are already there will allow you to do your research whenever an answer does not satisfy you.
When you question set percepts of how the world is, you will be able to then manipulate those percepts. Curiosity breeds a motive to learn about the world. This will then allow you to manipulate the set laws to do cool things. That is exactly how humanity was able to send an astronaut to the moon and a rover to Mars. Hence, question everything. Feed the curiosity till it invokes a passion to learn.
Do Your Research
After having developed a curiosity about things, look for answers. A scientist’s way of finding those answers is to do their research on the topic. This is not just googling it or accepting any explanation you find. Scientific research is done through systematic investigation. This is called the Scientific Method. There are multiple online courses that you can take to develop a better understanding of the scientific method. You can also just pick up a book on the subject so you can learn how to learn. Read the scientific literature you find with a critical eye. Try to find peer-reviewed scientific articles and academic journals.
One has to be incredibly critical of even the most legitimate-looking articles. Constantly doing research will help you get better at it so that when you find something that intrigues you, you can find out about it and understand it better.
Test it Out
After having formed an opinion (or a hypothesis as it is called) what you need to do is to test it. The scientific method is that after formulating a hypothesis it needs to be put through rigorous testing. For example, if you think that one of your plants is dying because of lack of water-that is your hypothesis. Then water it and observe. This is called testing. Note down everything that happens with diligence. If you control for other factors for example sunlight and see that there is change then you can accept the hypothesis. The lack of water was killing your plant. If the plant is not able to revive then you can either reject the hypothesis or do more testing.
Always Be Critical
An expert scientist does a constant critical analysis of his every research. Questioning everything also means that one will be questioning your own beliefs.
A true scientist does not go into testing his knowledge with a bias. He must always be ready to discard old beliefs if ample evidence is found. This is true for even the best of scientists.
From believing that the atom is the smallest possible unit in the world to understanding the existence of subatomic particles. From thinking that fat was the main source of heart disease to establishing that sugar is a far bigger culprit in this regard. Up till a few years ago, it was widely believed that eating egg yolks was bad for you. Now that idea is changing as well.
Scientists are constantly questioning old theories and beliefs because they understand a core concept-that is no knowledge is absolute.
Conclusion
The best way to become an expert at science is to understand it’s core. And the core of science is curiosity. Science is the means employed by humanity to learn more about the world.
Read loads of books. Question each and everything around you. Do your research before forming a belief. And always be ready to learn and relearn. That is the mark of a true scientist.
