19
| Therefore, the seeker after the truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, but rather the one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, the one who submits to argument and demonstration, and not to the sayings of a human being whose nature is fraught with all kinds of imperfection and deficiency. The duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and … attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency. |
|
أبو علي، الحسن بن الحسن بن الهيثم Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham Kitāb al-Manāẓir or Book of Optics (Sabra, 1989) |
The above quote by Alhasan (The Latin form of his name) is poignant for this chapter as he is credited with the first systematic use of the scientific method. He based his theories on vision and light on experimentation (i’tibar, اختبار) and mathematics. In this chapter, we will explore the basics of the scientific method and see how it can be used to explore nature.
