True Science and its Universality
1. Introduction
All adown the centuries, human’s desire for knowing the mechanism of outside world and internal self has never diminished. From the mythical and religious imagination to the rise of European philosophy, followed by the scientific revolution, people have been seeking for the truth all along the way and at the same time gradually make the definition of “truth” becomes mature. Nowadays, the general scientific knowledge system has rooted deeply in modern people’s mind regardless of region, race and culture. Can we say that human have achieved the science universality? In this essay, by reflecting on the two statements by Nathan Sivin, I will discuss the characteristic of science and the idea of
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The Universality of Science and Science Communication
3.1 Relationship between Science, Technology and Society
The science, after experienced series of development where it turned from pure spiritual activities to social activities, has become a broad concept including many fractions. It does not only contain the sets of knowledge and judgments, but also stands for series of practices and applications, which rely on the help of the technologies, influenced by its own historical and social origins, and at the same time has consequences on the society. In the set of contemporary science where the science and technologies have nearly equal shares, the new word “technoscience” can be used to best describe this situation.
In particularly, I personally believe the two statements of Sivin are compatible. Firstly, we have to make it clear that those two were talking about two different aspects in science: the essence of science knowledge and the process of science practicing and spreading. Even if we don’t consider my doubts on the relations between science facts and human society I mentioned above, the close link between the science spreading and outside factors like culture and society are obvious. So there may not have direct conflicts between
John M. Barry addresses his feelings about scientists and their research through the piece from, “The Great Influenza,” an account of the 1918 flu epidemic. He adopts a speculative tone and utilizes rhetorical strategies such as fallacies, metaphors, and word choice to characterize scientists research. Barry describes the positive mind set and the requirements to be a scientists. The requirements of being a scientist would not only be, “intelligence and curiosity,”but to also to be open minded and to have courage.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth century, many scientists had developed a new perspective on the world around them. Scientists such as Galileo and Copernicus envisioned a world where natural phenomenons could be proved through experimentation. Furthermore, the work of scientists during this time period were affected by the approval of political figures, the support from influential members of the church, and social factors that influenced the development and acceptance of new theories. To powerful political figures, scientific theories were regarded as an opportunity to gain power and money.
Scientists take the unknown and make it known. The audience will better understand the scientific method if it seems logical. Including examples of Einstein, accepting scientific theories, and designing experiments show that the basis of Barry’s argument is factual. “Einstein refused to accept his own theory until his predictions were tested,” showing even the best of the best scientists study with uncertainty. Barry’s appeal to logos helps characterize the intellectual side of science.
Political, religious and social factors heavily impacted the work of scientist in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Governments where funding the sciences and were placing more emphasis on science and the arts. States wanted to show an abundance of wealth by causing the arts and sciences to Flourish (Doc 11). States where establishing academies for letters and sciences, therefore more and more people were learning about science (Doc 11). Louis XIV was a big parton of the sciences, he established the French Royal Academy and he showed pride in supporting the sciences (Doc 10) Science and Politics were happy with each supporting each other.
There were scientific findings before the 16th century and there were more to follow the 18th century. Shapin’s thesis covers that there was no specific scientific distinction between the 17th century and the rest of time for this period to stand out and be a revolution but he explains that the Scientific Revolution is more of a process. Shapin still believes that the scientific findings of this time can be considered revolutionary. Shapin explains that “Science remains whatever it is-certainly the most reliable body of natural knowledge we have got” (165) to show that he still understands how important science and the findings in science are to the world and civilization.
He argued that the most important responsibility of science is to assist human societies deal with troubles and manage their environments. But Dewey idea that it was unscientific for scientists to direct their work according to particular practical troubles. To a certain extent, science is the study of a particular subset of properties of natural relationships dealings and associations, called by Dewey instrumental properties. Science is most successful in increasing our capacities for problem solving and changing our environment when it is
The scientific method is paramount to scientists and their studies. Barry affirms, “Ultimately a scientist
The Scientific Revolution showed that a rise in observations and conclusions became an acceptable source of knowledge and truth, where it had been less so in earlier
Last but not least, science is characterized by its incessant evolution in a way that a single new anomaly can easily falsify a strong scientific theory. In simple English, even experts know that there is no ultimate certainty to
Technology can be defined as “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment”. (n.d.) Therefore, when we speak of technological evolution we can say that it is an “innovation and technology related hypothesis that describes the fundamental change of society through technical development”. Different theorists have their own perspective on the evolution of technology but, although each of their views differs from another, they shared certain common features, mechanism, and incidence in technology. Some theorists have developed distinct approaches to understanding the nature of the technological process and the relationship between technological development and the social world.
Modern science is typically subdivided into the natural sciences, which study the material world, the social sciences which study people and societies, and the formal sciences like mathematics. The formal sciences are often excluded as they do not depend on empirical observations.[5] We have to keep in mind that science helps us describe how the world is, but it cannot make any judgments about whether that state of affairs is right, wrong, good, or bad and individual people must make moral judgments.
For instance the story of creation was passed down by people who actually witnessed it and believed that it is true. It was an actual occurrence. While for science it has been passed down also from scientist to scientist who believe what they are saying is true without actually knowing or having the proof. Science is the process of trying to understand the laws of creation not proving that is why science is the reason for anything. Religion is an all known source that everybody understand in their own way.
In mathematics the knowledge we obtain is justified with reason that have straightforward theories and laws. In natural science on the other hand the information we collect is firstly obtained with observations which can be perceived in the wrong manner and then carried out wrong after that, in the natural world things are always changing therefore the results we get now won’t necessarily be correct one hundred years down the line therefore the knowledge we have now of the natural sciences is correct until proven wrong. Knowledge is trustworthy in most of our subjects at school but we can never know if the information we are receiving is 100% accurate or not because in the future we may learn that the information we have is
Technological advancements throughout today 's society have started a revolution. In an average day, a human makes decisions over a million times a day, from choosing where to go to which shirt to wear. Having choices in life gives a person control over themselves and behaviors. Using science and technology in a person 's everyday life affects their choices and decisions. Everyday technology is a factor that is considered when making a decision, whether it is from news articles or perceiving technology as another living being.
Technology refers to the use of tools, machines, materials, techniques and sources of power to make work easier and more productive. Apparently, people nowadays cannot live without science technology. There is nothing to puzzle or amaze if the people around the world have a mobile phone. Almost everything around us is the outcome or the wonderful result of technology. Development is closely related with technology.