Hi Marsha, Scientific knowledge?
In our world today, scientific knowledge encompasses all forms of measurement using numbers. 50 cattle in a herd is scientific. "He is twice as handsome as I" is not scientific. However, numbers are a concept, an illusion. So it could be said that science is illusion. I would agree with this, but I don't want to get into a semantic war. Scientific knowledge builds in the same way as philosophical knowledge. Assumptions are made, typically based on observation. These assumptions are then built up as knowledge. The more useful these structures are, the more they are used. Science is passed along through the virus of words. Perhaps scientific knowledge is an interpretation of reality. But, it is not reality, just like the description of a cow is not a cow. Science, that is measurement, is used in a variety of ways, the science of economics, the science of religion, the science of philosophy. But, in the same way, the perspective can be changed to say: the economics of science, the religion of science, and the philosophy of science. The religion of science would be a good way to characterize the 21st century. And like any religion, it is hard to describe alternatives to the believers. I do not believe that science is necessarily an institution, but is a way of thought. I personally believe that there are many more things that can't be measured (ever) than can be measured. So science has a limited use in our experience. I believe you are rebelling against the domination of scientific (measurement base) thought, and I agree with you there. We are not funding science, we are funding the promises of science, which means we are funding our desires. I agree with you that our desires are misplaced, but I feel that is the nature of man. Always wanting more, never satisfied, relating to the world through objects. Because science now requires specialization, it has become a foreign endeavor. But it is basic humans doing it, like you and me. Trust? Trust comes from within, it is not something that is given to you. Cheers, Willblake2 On Apr 23, 2009, at 12:34:39 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > Will, What is scientific knowledge? Marsha . _____________ Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars......... . . Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
