In this article I will argue that it is urgently necessary to discard the phrase in the title. When we speak of the scientific method in this day and age, we mean the following:

The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge and obtaining the necessary permissions and financial support for the whole setup. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.

The first italicized part of the above definition is usually omitted, but is the actual context of modern scientific inquiry. This means that to evaluate scientific results means that the policies of sources of university funding, corporate funding, government funding as well as specific research project funding have to be taken into account.

Another even more important aspect becomes visible once we examine the key concepts which are the empirical and the measurable. In other words objective. If empirical and measurable are defined within the context of the human senses and the conceived three dimensional reality, science could never advance beyond these artificial limits.

Since the emergence of quantum physics we know that the results of ‘empirical’ observation and experimentation can only be interpreted in the context of the observer, which introduces a certain subjectivity. It has even become scientifically questionable to assume the very existence of an objective universe.

A generalization of the scientific method therefore would have to include evidence in a broader category. Consciousness for example is something that cannot be proven to exist in the former scientific sense. This is based on the fact that consciousness itself is part of the proof.

Let us assume the following definition of science:”Science is the consideration and action of forming conceptual systems of comprehension of different aspects of reality. Sciences are systematic conceptualizations.”

Taking off from this definition of science any reality could be the subject of scientific inquiry. Therefore I propose to include anything that can be experienced as reality to be a valid domain of inquiry and therefore evidence that can be experienced and shared should be taken into account.

So let us stop using the extremely provincial phrase, “The Scientific Method” realizing it is just A scientific method and instead opt for many scientific methods. This would do more justice to the very definition of science itself which means – etymologically- just knowing.

Therefore what is known as official science can now officially be suspected of being, slanted by the context of financial interests as well as the self-imposed limitation of only accepting evidence from a viewpoint that does not even include consciousness itself.

As has been said many times ‘Context is the key’.