Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ecsvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!ecsvax!garys From: garys@ecsvax.UUCP (Gary J. Smith MD) Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: RE: Weird Science (response) Message-ID: <460@ecsvax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 12:52:43 EDT Article-I.D.: ecsvax.460 Posted: Fri Sep 20 12:52:43 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 22-Sep-85 05:20:19 EDT References: <45200019@hpfcms.UUCP> <1724@pyuxd.UUCP> Organization: North Carolina Educational Computing Service Lines: 30 Rich, I find your rhetoric about science disturbing, if not dangerous. There is nothing more dangerous than a human's claim to knowing the "objective truth." When you say that science is the objective and methodical search for facts, you are sadly ignoring the scientific method's limitations. And I would argue that science is only useful when its limitations are kept firmly in mind. I believe it was Charley who tried to convince you of the subjectivity of science. Let me try my hand at it. Put simply, the work of a scientist, no matter how honest and noble a scientist he is, in large part always reflects his preconceived notions and assumptions. Why? The reason is that the questions a scientist asks govern the results of his work. Asking questions is a very subjective activity; it always reflects what concerns the asker. To the degree that some questions are asked and others are NOT asked, science is therefore subjective. Add to that Heisenberg's insights, and science is no longer the objective and value-free endeavor that you want it to be. It seems highly dishonest to ever claim objectivity. It is an impossibility. The horrors committed in the name of science always are founded on just such an assertion: "These are the facts--science proved them. This is the objective truth. You cannot argue with us, for we have the Truth as Science has given it to us." - Gary Smith Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com