The big idea
👁️
What you saw vs what it means
Two different claims, two different standards of support — and most arguments confuse them.
Scientific Thinking · Lesson 2
Observation vs Inference
beginner⏱ 15 min · 7 cards
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Split it
Observation
The pavement is wet
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Inference
It rained last night
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The observation constrains the possibilities. It does not choose between them.
Try it
Split the Statement
“The pavement is wet.”
Is this what was detected, or what was concluded?
Separate what was detected from what was concluded.
Mars, 1877
How a translation built a civilisation
Schiaparelli mapped markings he called canali — channels. Rendered in English as canals, the word implied construction.
Lowell mapped an irrigation network. Better telescopes found nothing there. Careful observers, one inference buried in a word.
Nuance
Why blinding exists
Maester Note
Observer bias is not dishonesty — attention is selective. Care helps and is not enough, which is why protocols are fixed before data arrives.
Quick check
What single question best tests whether a claim is scientific?
You did it
Nice work
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