Task 8 Read the passage and find out what in the author’s opinion the object of scientific work is. Use the dictionary when necessary.

SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS

The man in the street has a very faint idea of the meaning of the word science. It includes, he feels, such pursuits as astronomy, chemistry and biology. He is not so sure whether engineering or medicine is science, and he is quite sure that politics, history, art, religion, and the like are not.

The scientist is more interested in doing scientific work than in defining it. He sometimes says that a piece of work or a book is “unscientific” and he usually means by the phrase that it is inexact; that it is badly arranged; that it jumps to conclusions without evidence, or that the author has allowed his personal prejudices to influence his report.

By scientific work, then, we mean that which is as exact as it possible, orderly in arrangement, and based on sound and sufficient evidence. Moreover, it must have no object except to find out the truth.

Perhaps science is more clearly defined by saying that it is firstly a vast collection of facts expressed in exact and unambiguous language in such a manner that any one who cares to take the trouble can test their truth; and secondly a collection of rules or laws which express the connection between these facts. This doesn’t sound very interesting but it is extremely important. As long as men hunted for knowledge in a random sort of way and believed each other’s assertions without testing them, knowledge made negligible progress. Once they began to make sure that their fact were right by doing experiments for themselves, science began to grow.

( from “The World of Science” )

1. Write down:

1. A list of subjects coming under the heading of science

2. The characteristics of scientific work

3. A list of subjects not coming under heading of science

4. The features of work that may be called “unscientific”

5. The two main characteristics of science

2. Exchange your opinions about the ideas on science and scientific work expressed in the article.

Task 9 Read the articles from the dictionary and:

1. explain what is the difference between technology and technique

2. say what person we call a technician, an expert, a technologist

3. tell your group mates what we mean speaking about technocracy

4. say whom we call technophobe

TECHNIQUE - 1) a special skill or way of doing something, especially one that has to be learned (new techniques for producing special effects in movies);

2) the level of skill or the set of skills that someone has (a footballer with brilliant technique)

TECHNOLOGY – 1) knowledge about scientific or industrial methods or the use of these methods (nuclear technology; the application of modern technologies to something);

2) machinery and equipment used or developed as a result of this knowledge (The factory uses the very latest technology.)

TECHNOCRACY - a social system in which people with a lot of scientific or technical knowledge have a lot of power

TECHNOCRAT – a highly skilled scientist who has a lot of power in industry or government

TECHNOLOGIST – someone who has special knowledge of technology

TECHNOPHOBE – someone who does not like modern machines such as computers

TECHNICIAN – a skilled scientific or industrial worker; someone who works with and mends scientific equipment or machines (a laboratory technician)

EXPERT – someone who knows all about a particular subject of any sort (He’s an expert in music.)