Summary of Jane Jacob, “The scientific state of mind.”

Jane Jacobs and the Scientific State of Mind

Jane Jacobs attempts to demonstrate how the human mind prepares itself to consider scientific ideas in her expository essay “The Scientific State of Mind.” Jacobs claims that it takes four stages for a scientific mind to explain a scientific idea.

1. The Fruitful Question

The first phase, Jacobs explains, is the fruitful question, in which a logical hypothesis is developed to answer a puzzle about which past events or objects do not provide evidence.

2. The Hypothesis

Jacobs goes on to demonstrate that after a fruitful question has been posed, the scientist comes up with a hypothetical solution. The answer that is suspected to have truths behind the question. Jacobs specifies that the hypotheses and the question are linked stages requiring insightful and imaginative skills which a scientist is well equipped.

3. Testing the Hypothesis

The third stage Jacobs describes as the stage when the hypothesis is tested by different people, including the creator of the theory. If the hypothesis stands up to the evidence, it is then accepted as a theory or law.

4. The Question Chain

Finally, Jacobs describes the final stage as the question chain, whereby the theory brings up new issues previously unknown. The new problems that arise surprisingly return the entire process back to the first stage, to pose a fruitful question. Jane says that this juncture reflects how science is a continuous process that seeks to bring out new bodies of knowledge.

Jane shows that through these four stages, science is different from other pursuits in that it employs intellectual means that are limited and precise, combined with integrity in its limited means. She helps us see how science consistently builds from itself (Jacobs).

Works Cited

Jacobs, Jane. ”The scientific state of mind.”

Jr, Martin Luther King. ”The Ways of Meeting Oppression.”

Summary of the speech by Martin Luther, ”The Ways of Meeting Oppression.”

The argumentative essay by Martin Luther King, by the title “The Ways of Meeting Oppression,” compares three ways that oppressed the people and try to combat oppression in their community. Martin says that one of the ways is through acquiescence whereby the oppressed adjust to the oppression allowing it to continue. He says for every freedom movement; there are some among the oppressed who seem to favor the oppression. King explains that these are the type of people that are worn down by the abuse until they give up. He says this is not the best way out as accepting passively a system that is unjust is similar to cooperating with it. The second way of standing up against oppression King explains is by resorting to physical violence and spreading hatred. Martin shows that turning to violence is also the wrong way to deal with abuse as it never brings permanent peace. He indicates that violence is impractical as both parties are destroyed and are also immoral as it is based on hatred and does not win the understanding of the opponent but rather humiliates them. The last way of fighting against oppression Martin says through nonviolent resistance. He says that this way seeks to reconcile the truths of two opposing parties, the violent and the acquiescence while keeping out of extremes of both sides. He shows that the nonviolent resister agrees with the individual that acquiesces, in that one should not be aggressive physically to the opponent but also agrees with the great activist that oppression should be resisted. Martin says this is the best way of dealing with oppression as no one needs to accept for any wrongdoing and still no one turns to violence to correct a wrong (Jr).