Commonsense justification of our modified scientific method
STEP 1: Ask a question or pose a problem.
STEP 2: List all possible answers, no matter how bizarre or biased.
WHY?: To avoid excluding highly improbable right answers.
STEP 3: Assemble all relevant evidence.
WHY?: To avoid missing the correct answer.
STEP 4: Proceed with only strong (falsifiable) evidence.
WHY?: To start with only what you are sure about.
STEP 5: List all possible answers consistent with this evidence.
WHY?: Because at the beginning, we cannot know the final answer.
STEP 6: Choose the simplest answer consistent with all the facts.
WHY?: Because every part of right answer must explain something.
STEP 7: Test this answer rigorously against its consequences (predictions) or against new evidence.
WHY?: Because we must be really sure about our answer.
STEP 8: Continue to test the answer regularly and vigorously. Be your own harshest critic.
WHY?: This is the most efficient way to find errors and eliminate them.