## The social significance of science in its beginnings - the proper way of thinking

One of the most significant contributions of ancient philosophy to the work of modern scientists are the foundations of scientific thinking and properly conducted discussion. In this context, the key figure was Socrates, who used the so-called Socratic method. This is a method of conversation in which the students first try to define a general concept, and then the teacher asks them questions, with which they try to manoeuvre the students into a situation where their answers would contradict each other. If the teacher succeeds, the definition was not chosen correctly. If all the students' answers are consistent, the definition can be considered correct. In later years, other important figures of European science built on the scientific thinking of ancient philosophers – Roger Bacon (13th Century), William of Occam (14th century), Galileo Galilei (16th and 17th centuries), Pierre Fermat (17th Century), Gottfried Leibniz (17th Century) and Isaac Newton (17th Century). By analysing the thought and experimental procedures of individual scientists, three basic ways of thinking were described:

1. Inductive reasoning proposes generally valid conclusions based on several empirical observations of specific situations. This means that if we observed swans swimming on a lake for several days in a row, and each of the observed swans was white, we can come to the general conclusion that all swans are white (if we did not know this before). In this way, we can create hypotheses about possible general properties of the things or situations we observe.
2. Deductive reasoning follows a logical chain of evidence or arguments and identifies the true conclusion by eliminating all incorrect options. In this case, we could say that if there are two white birds swimming on the lake, and at the same time we know for sure that the only white birds that swim on lakes are swans, we can say with certainty that the birds on our lake are swans (if we didn't know that before). This type of reasoning is best illustrated by film detectives, who always combine and evaluate individual evidence, exclude all innocents from the circle of suspects and convict the culprit.
3. Abductive reasoning is based on a limited amount of information and comes up with a probable conclusion. Therefore, if we know that swans are white birds that swim on lakes, and at the same time we see a white bird on a lake, it is likely that it could be a swan (if we didn't know it before). This type of reasoning can be illustrated by virtually any situation where we say "90% of the time it's true".