Which of the following attributes would you associate with ‘Scientific temper’?

(A) Perseverance in carrying out scientific investigations.

(B) Creativity in coming up with big problems to be investigated and breaking them down into smaller ‘solvable’ parts.

(C) Scepticism towards non-scientific beliefs.

(D) Commitment towards cultural preservation.

Correct Answer: (A), (B) and (C)

Explanation:

'Scientific temper' refers to an open-minded, logical, and evidence-based attitude towards life and problem-solving. It involves using the scientific method to observe, question, test, and analyze the world.

Let us analyze each of the given statements:

(A) Perseverance in carrying out scientific investigations: Scientific inquiry requires persistent effort, patience, and rigorous experimentation to arrive at reliable conclusions. Therefore, perseverance is a key aspect of scientific temper.

(B) Creativity in coming up with big problems to be investigated and breaking them down into smaller ‘solvable’ parts: Science requires creative thinking to formulate relevant questions and decompose complex phenomena into manageable hypotheses. Thus, creativity in problem-formulation and breakdown is an attribute of scientific temper.

(C) Scepticism towards non-scientific beliefs: Scientific temper relies on empirical proof, rational thinking, and verified facts rather than unexamined traditions, superstitions, or dogmas. Being healthily skeptical towards non-scientific or unproven beliefs is a fundamental trait of scientific temper.

(D) Commitment towards cultural preservation: While cultural preservation is a social, historical, or cultural value, it is not an inherent attribute or defining component of scientific temper.

Hence, attributes (A), (B), and (C) are associated with scientific temper.