Disillusioned Student
Lately I have been becoming more firm in my disillusionment with science. It has existed in varying forms since about 5 years ago when I encountered Jung’s comparison between scientific norms and personal myths. This last month or two I have been sensing that science, as it is practiced or revered by the majority of people (i.e. undergraduate students/degree holders and the general public) is a relatively awe-crushing pursuit. It is true that it is not like that by necessity–so much as by chance, or as a result of the nature of humans to be more in awe of that which they don’t understand.
I think the key is that a true scientist, or especially a true philosopher of science, is aware of the limitations of his field and how little we have actually come to ‘know’. Where as most of us out in the world tend to treat science as cold hard fact.
I turn to John Maynard Keynes:
…there is no direct relation between the truth of a proposition an its probability. Probability begins and ends with probability. That a scientific investigation pursued on account of its probability will generally lead to truth, rather than falsehood, is at best only probable.
Add comment July 23rd, 2007