Is science limited in the types of questions it can answer?

Question

Or is there no question that science cannot answer? If there are limits, what are they?

Answer 1

As the second answerer addressed, and the first answerer seems a little confused about, everything in science is a theory, and in science nothing can be proven. Science attempts to disprove educated hypotheses about how something works, and when humans cannot fathom hypotheses or don't understand how something works, there is nothing to disprove and therefore nothing to remain undisproven. A theory by definition is a hypothesis that has not been disproven. The idea that humans reproduce sexually is a theory, but our level of certainty that the theory stands true is high because it has not been disproven and numerous events contribute to this idea. There are many questions that science cannot answer simply because we as humans cannot imagine how these processes may work.

Answer 2

Science answers questions about how things happen. These questions are often expressed using why as in "why is the sky blue". This leads people to believe that science can answer questions it has no way of even asking. The correct question is what mechanisms cause the sky to look blue. Science can speculate and maybe some day answer the question of how the life started but never why.

Answer 3

Science attempts to explain everything using the scientific method. Observations are made, data is collected, experiments performed, hypotheses tested, theories, etc. etc.....

However science does not explain things that can't be explained naturally. Like ghosts and God and good luck are not attempted to be explained by science.

A good science theory predicts what happens in the future. Anybody that says science is just theories is absolutely right, however, they don't understand what is meant by theory.

Answer 4

Whenever a theory or question concerns things that cannot be directly observed, science cannot conclusively answer it.
Examples include the origin of the universe, faith based beliefs, man's contribution to global warming and countless social issues.

Answer 5

Calibration is the impediment to scientific research.

Unless every aspect of a controlled experment can be calibrated, you cannot be certain that the results of the experiment.

Scientists who make assumptions cannot stand upon the results of their experiments.

If you tested a substance and found it to be 50% uranium and 50% lead, could you determine its age based upon it's half-life?

The answer is no. You could only assume that it began as uranium and decayed to its current state. Unless you know the beginning concentration, you cannot determine its age with any certainty.

Science, therefore, is indeed limited in the types of questions it can answer.
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Answer 6

Yes. Only things that can be checked experimentally or have some evidence to inspect are answerable.

Answer 7

Of course, the things we know about the universe compared to what we dont know is like grain of sand compared to a beach

Answer 8

there are questions that cannot be answered. most of them have to do with protiens and them making us who we are and who did the first things come to be. you have to remember that alot of science is based on theory and have'nt actually been proven.