At least not in principle. There is too much nonsense talked about “Science” today. Glad someone is noticing:
You’ve heard it: “What does the science say? Have you heard about the latest scientific study? If we are ever to solve the problem of fill-in-the-blank, we must follow the science and keep politics and religion out of it!”
In this view, science speaks as a kind of oracle—communicating in a monolithic, impersonal voice the true reality of things. Our primary responsibility is simply to listen carefully to this trustworthy voice and then do all we can to follow where it leads.
Not everyone speaks of science so reverentially. In fact, virtually all modern philosophers and sociologists of science do not speak of science in this way. And we would know. Two of us have a combined 63 years of studying and teaching the philosophy of science. And we can assure you that the gap between the consensus among those who have carefully studied the logic and methods of scientific research and this more popular view of science could not be more cavernous.
There are at least three things we would love for people to see and understand more clearly about science today:
Jacob Z. Hess, “The Fantasy Story Americans Love to Tell About Science” at Public Square Magazine (November 23, 2021)
Read more and enjoy…