-Science in Nursing:
Nursing philosophy is referred to as a statement of foundational and universal assumptions, beliefs,
and principles about the nature of knowledge and thoughtthis is epistemology
a. Also about the entities represented in the paradigm
b. Belief system or worldview of profession and provides perspectives for practice, scholarship and
research
c. Does NOT adhere to dominant philosophy; adheres to many perspectives or worldviews in unified
way to gain valuenecessary for knowledge development
d. Multi-paradigm discipline
Nursing science is defined as the substantive discipline specific knowledge that focuses on the
human universe health process articulated in nsg frameworks/theories
a. Aim to develop discipline specific knowledge
b. Acknowledges the relationships of human responses in health/illness
c. Address biological, behavioral, sociological and cultural domains
d. Goal is represent the nature of nsg—understand/use etc for benefit of humankind
e. Gives direction to the future generation
Philosophy of Science in Nursing: helps establish meaning of science through an
understanding/examination of nsg concepts/theories/laws/aims as they relate to nsg practice
a. Describes nsg and examines prediction/causality
b. Seeks to critically related theories, models and scientific systems
c. Explore determinism and free will
Knowledge Development/Nsg Science
-Nsg knowledge develops through interplay between science and research
a. Knowledge and nsg is developed with the ultimate goal of improving nsg practice
b. Knowledge development has 3 dimensions:
i. Ontology: defined as a study of being, what is or what exists
ii. Epistemology: refers to study of knowledge, or ways of knowing
iii. Methodology: means of acquiring knowledge
Nursing epistemology: has been defined as the study of the origins of nsg knowledge, its structure
and methods, its patterns of knowing of its members and criteria required for validating knowledge
claims
a. scientific knowledge and knowledge termed conventional wisdom which is referring to knowledge
that hasn’t been empirically tested
b. Draws knowledge through 4 fundamental patterns—
i. Empirics-science of nsg
ii. Aesthetics-art of nsg
iii. Personal knowledge and nsg
iv. Ethics-moral knowledge in nsg
Empirical knowledge: objective, abstract and draws no traditional ideas that can be verified through
observation and proved by hypothesis testing