Understanding Biology

¶ … biology" and the intended focus of the science. The essay will also give examples of the scientific process. Before concluding, this work will explore the meaning of biology to me as I currently am studying the subject. Defining Biology According to the English Oxford Dictionary biology is defined as "The study of living organisms divided into many specialized fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behavior, origin and distribution." It is essentially the science of life of living matter.

Anderson (1972) suggested that "The workings of our minds and bodies, and of all the animate or inanimate matter of which we have any detailed knowledge are assumed to be controlled by the same set o£ fundamental laws which except under certain extreme conditions we feel we know pretty well." Biology is a broad subject that covers many areas of emphasis and provides many sub-areas of study that are quite exhausting.

Microbiology, morphology, psychology, anthropology and many other subjects directly relate to the overreaching term of "biology." The simplest means to understand if an idea applies to biology is to measure the "life" that that is inherent within that idea. Rocks, metals, minerals and machines are not organic to life and are not biological in nature. To understand biology one must have a clear concept of the concept of what life is and how it provides the impetus for the living thing.

Scientific Process The scientific process asks pertinent questions that must be answered using experimental design. This process is essentially about finding causes and effects for different phenomenon that appear. One example of the scientific process involves inductive reasoning skills that lets the investigator realize the answer through experiment. Measuring and keeping track of daily temperatures to determine weather patterns is one example of the scientific process. Another example of the scientific process can be found in using the process of elimination.

Investigating ideas from this stand point allows the scientist to work from the end state to the root cause. As long as the process aims to find root causes, the process may be considered scientific. Personal Reflections on Biology As I study biology I have realized that idea of life is very unique and sometimes confusing. What constitutes life can essentially be found in studying the subject of Biology, however tougher questions become evident once that idea is taken a little bit further.

The idea of "life" can be defined in many different ways. A rock may not be considered to be alive, however the molecules that are contained within that rock at a microscopic level seem to be alive as they vibrate at a very fast pace. For me, the nature of matter is also important to understand biology. At some level matter can be simply defined as vibrating light. Biology examines this phenomenon at a level which sees this light formulate into some sort of self.