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ToK Folk,

 

Advocates of thinking scientifically are often admonished that science may be OK for scientists, but has strict limits. This warning is often expressed by theists as “science and religion do not overlap.” Dualists claim that the mind is not formed of matter and energy but of something else. Others claim  that subjective experience, conscious experience, or the complexities of society cannot be analyzed using scientific thinking. Various social scientists may claim that their disciplines lie outside of science. Would it be fair for me suggest that proponents of the enlightenment gap claim that thinking scientifically cannot solve world problems?

 

I propose that those who make such claims bear the burden of proving those claims. Specifically, those who claim specific limits on the realm of thinking scientifically must answer the question:

              How would science know when and where to stop being relevant?

 

Because I acknowledge that we continue to face grand challenges that persist and seem resistant to solutions, I am obligated to offer an alternative hypothesis. I propose that science is working its way up from physics through chemistry, geology, meteorology, and biology into medicine, neuroscience, various branches of psychology, sociology, economics, ethics, and eventually government. Prolonged searches for elan vital, caloric, luminiferous ether, and phlogiston have brought us to null results and new insights. I advocate that we continue to seek real good, regardless of the discipline, or rate of progress.

 

Enjoy the holidays.

 

Respectfully,

 

Lee Beaumont

 

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