When I saw the topic assigned for the first of our weekly blog posts, I was slightly incredulous. "How has science affected your life"? The question itself seems almost ridiculous. How has science NOT affected our lives as humans? Science is what defines us, it's what defines our place in this world, it's why humans, these strange, bipedal, hairless apes that once numbered in the mere thousands, came to dominate this planet.
At first I started writing up a life-story about my ADHD and how science has influenced my life through its interaction with this disorder. Then halfway through, I realized that it would be boring, because ADHD stories are boring, and mine would be no different.
So instead, I want to talk about a topic I hope will be found slightly more interesting (if no less self-centric): How science has shaped my views of the world.
As is evident to anybody, you don't have to know a whole lot about science to be it's beneficiary. How many of us can explain exactly how a cellphone functions, or exactly how a computer works? Not many I'm guessing. However, the value of science, to me at least, extends far beyond the realm of the material. To me, science isn't merely a set of tools to be used for the purpose of further domination of the planet.
To me, science is a philosophy, a way of seeing the world, literally a way of life.
So now that we have that hilariously pretentious statement out of the way, I'll try to explain what I mean.
The easiest way to explain this is to simply say that my own philosophies about the world follow the scientific method. When I form opinions about something, it is not something that I arrive to internally after long periods of introspective deliberation; I look at the results, I look at the evidence. I always try to determine what sort of effect "insert topic here" is having on the world before arriving to any sort of opinion regarding said topic.
I just had a thought regarding the concept of the "Blank Slate" theory of human nature. Science, and likewise my own beliefs regarding the world, could be considered a sort of blank slate. Science starts with no preconceptions, no initial theories regarding any sort of phenomena. It gropes around in the dark, feeling for evidence, then uses said evidence to arrive at a logical and internally consistent conclusion. My worldviews act the same way.
Of course, this is not to say that I never have preconceptions, or misinformed opinions etc. To say so would be rather comically obtuse. However I feel that the number of such thoughts that I possess is much lower than the average person's, thanks to employing scientific methodology to my own beliefs and opinions.
One of the many (many, many) topics we have discussed in class is the idea that science is often integrated with the social and political spheres. I agree with this statement, but I do not believe that it is a drawback or a detriment to us a species. I believe that it is the political, social and cultural spheres that abuse and misrepresent science to fit their own needs, not the other way around.
This post is becoming more disorganized and unintelligible the longer it goes, so I'm gonna wrap this up here. In summary, science has guided the way that I look at the world. The philosophy behind the scientific method, that of observation and experimentation, with a lack of prior assumptions, is the fundamental pillar upon which I place my perception of all the myriad happenings around me.
I very much agree with you that science is influencing us in everything we do in our lives, even as I sit here and type this comment. This class and our discussions both help my understanding of science and reiterate thoughts I have already had in my head AND confuse me at the same time. On one hand science seeks to answer questions, to find "truths," to be unbiased and uncensored. But on the other hand, everything is always-already influenced by everything else, science is no exception. So, as you said, science is completely influential and impacting and everywhere around us.
ReplyDeletePS I appreciate your humor and self-deprication.
I think one of the ways of looking at science as a "truth" is to remember that science itself, IS unbiased. It is the people that use science, not the science itself, that brings the bias into the equation. Does this mean that science can never truly be unbiased? I can't say. But I think that people can develop the ability to weed out the political and social agendas that plague public exposures of science today.
ReplyDeleteI was struck by your labeling of science as a philosophy and a way of seeing the world. I have a theatre professor who considers performance to be a way of understanding the world, much like chemistry or biology. It is a vehicle through which we may further understand our surroundings. I think that your provided definition can help us, for the purposes of this class and beyond, bridge the gap between philosophy, science, art, mathmetics, etc. They're all just different ways to understand the same world. Rock on, man.
ReplyDelete