Science Is Unscientific

The Professor rose from his chair. He moved the book to the middle Of the table as he stood up. "Now, listen! " he said in an amicable voice. "Science prides itself in being factual, objective, precise, unbiased, detached and verifiable, free from introversion, a way of knowing things without added colours and portraying accurately the physical world in its own light". The Turtle was sipping his ginger ale. "Oh, this description of science is nothing but a myth", he said. "As I see it, even the most magnificent accomplishments of science involve emotions, an individual sense of wonder and curiosity, the psychological experience of the rapturous and the mystical. Consequently, a paradoxical and built in property of science concerns its own unscientific disposition. And therefore, in my opinion, science is thoroughly unscientific." "Nonsense", the professor objected. "If science were really unscientific, as you claim, it could not produce nuclear energy, airplanes, or computers. And it could not put astronauts on the moon". "Well, I indeed never stop to wonder, How is it possible that with so little knowledge humans can accomplish so much? " the Turtle said. And then he added: "But, you should not confuse science with technology". "I don't get your point", the Professor said, "because you still did not provide me with a good justification of your negative view of science". "Look! Science stands on very shaky theoretical foundations", the Turtle explained. This is so due to its reduction of the concrete whole to incomplete abstractions. Ironically, the more scientific science tries to be, the less scientific it becomes. Science is rational and logical but the universe, which it investigates is not. We cannot separate ourselves from the world outside. Therefore, an objective investigation of actuality ought to incorporate the subjective experience. The depiction of reality must be total. Otherwise it cannot be truly scientific. Mind you, ignoring the dominant subjective realm of existence does not make the world more objective. Imagine, for example, a computer that tries to understand the human world without understanding the human mind and human emotions". A moment of silence ensued. The Professor sank into his thoughts. The Turtle took another sip from the ginger ale. "I'm not sure", the Professor said eventually, "that it would be a good thing evolving a computer to a level in which it would understand such human qualities as humour, concern, loyalty, compassion, love and anger. I wonder if such a cybernetic device would be our servant or our master."