For most people, science represents the search for and the current body of found truth. Even many scientific theorists and philosophers who stresses the falsity of such a view in their articles and books often have a tendency to take the truth of discovered science as a given. We are so surrounded by the scientific dogma in our world today that it is difficult to remember Kant's theories when discussing topics other than the topics his theories touch in themselves.
But it seems inevitable, as Kant says, that we are always limited by our senses and our mental capacity when interpreting the world around us, the the world as it is in itself will be forever inaccessible. Science depends on sensory data as the foundation for its arguments, and thus can not be said to represent absolute truth about the world. It is limited by the filters in the human mind and sensory apparatus that will automatically and incessantly be in effect when observing anything.
Surrounded as we are by what seems like the evidence of the success of science this is, as I have stated, easily forgotten. Planes fly, thus proving the laws of aerodynamics, right? Not necessarily. What the flying plane proves about science is that it is a valid interpretation of sensory data useful for finding practical solutions. Science gives no understanding or real knowledge or truth, as people seem to think. What science brings are practical solutions, and in my opinion this is the one and only thing the scientific method can be said to do well. As a basis for a complete view of the world, it can only lead to insanity.
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Also the theories about say, quantum mechanics predicts certain results. But that is no guarantee that the theory in itself is correct: It is a model... And a model is useful if it predicts. It is only a mental construct, which has no reality in itself. Reality is perhaps unknowable, except in the fact that we partake in reality through reality being a part of us. We perceive an intersensory "image" of reality but we do not know if it is reality itself.. Or perhaps one could rather say in the spirit of daoism that feeling is the only reality... We feel directly and that has an actual reality...
ReplyDeleteThough one might state that practicality is a form of truth, which I could go along with. Still this can never be the whole truth. A disturbing tendency in modern societies is that people ar beginning to believe excactly this. Anything not practical is seen as having no value. I think this is the result of a too strong belief in the truth of science.
ReplyDeleteYes, the truths that science concern themselves with are the truths that are easy to be objective about. I think you are talking about materialism or naturalism. By stating that everything is explainable in materialist terms scienctists are making it easy for themselves... However why should everything be explainable in those terms? Metaphysics is regarded as nonsense, but it is exactly in that branch of philosophy that the materialist claims are shown to be problematic...
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the field were this tension is best illustrated is the field of sociology. Sociologist, or some of them at least, want so much to say something valuable about the human race, but every time they do, their methods seem unscientific, and every time their methods are in fact scientific, they end up missing central facts about what they are studying. It seems to work fine with regards to solving administrative problems of government, though.
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