A Textbook Case of the Nature of Science: Laws and Theories in the Science of Biology

Abstract

The two concepts “law” and “theory” are among the most important elements of the nature of science. They represent both the tools and products of science itself. Unfortunately, the variable meanings and use of these terms in general discourse and in other school disciplines results in much confusion with respect to their proper application in a science context. The project included the design of a six-part model definition for “law” and “theory” based on a review of the literature of the philosophy of science with special reference to biology. These model definitions were then compared with those provided in a range of U.S. secondary school biology textbooks. The majority of all current major U.S. secondary school biology texts were reviewed and analyzed with respect to how the concepts of “law” and “theory” were defined and applied, in an attempt to determine whether students and teachers using such texts would gain an accurate impression of these terms and the distinction between them. This study focuses on biology instruction since a life science course is completed as a graduation requirement by virtually all U.S. high school students and as such serves as a widely shared educational experience across the nation. The term “law” is rarely defined in any text but various laws such as those found in genetics are frequently included as examples. The term “theory” is frequently defined but with a wide range of completeness of the definitions. Only rarely are theories in biology included as examples.