Is science a bunch of abstractions into which men escape to avoid facing the chaos of reality?

Question

calculate the universe as if it were a pocket watch how scary!


and also alot of those new age/astrology crazies very much accept and like the chaos and inconstency of reality.

Jason T,I dont use a great deal of those things and I think alot of what science has given us was probably unecessary - after all we have survived thousands of years without them.


Secret very very insightful,but there is enormous value in death and i dont think trying to eliminate and postpone it is always constructive,historically disease has been cured by non scientific methods.Often the by products of science have brought in new and greater disease.

Answer 1

No. Precisely the opposite! It is the direct act of facing that chaos head on, and understanding it. It is saying to that chaos "you do not frighten us, we will look at you square in the face, and where necessary, overcome you ... but in most cases, just learn to admire and appreciate you."

Science is completely unlike superstition, which *is* avoiding facing the chaos of reality by saying "chaos is a mystery we can never understand ... so we might as well tell stories to comfort ourselves in the night."

Medicine, for example, is science in its purest form. Rather than accept the "chaos of reality" (disease) as something mysterious and unavoidable, we apply our minds to it, understand it, and where possible, we can tame that chaos and overcome it.

(And also, medicine is a great example of how science produces more than just "abstractions" ... ain't no mere "abstraction" when antibiotics makes your kid's fever drop.)

But it is wrong to see medicine as just an act of dominance or war on reality. It is also an act of admiration and appreciation. It isn't just about "defeating" disease, but about admiring our own marvelous immune systems, and helping them.

Or when a doctor sets a broken arm, she is doing the opposite of "avoiding the chaos of reality" of the fracture ... she is using our understanding of the marvelous ability of the human body to heal a bone. She knows that she merely sets the bone, it's the body that heals it. It is an act of admiration and appreciation for the amazing things our own bodies can do.

Answer 2

Absolutely not. Science is the process by which we seek to understand the complexities of reality. And chaos is all a matter of perspective, any road. The more I study about science, for example, the less chaos I perceive. There are patterns everywhere if you back up far enough and look for them. In fact, I can say with certainty that your reality is a great deal less chaotic than it otherwise might be thanks to science and the efforts of scientists.

Answer 3

Does your computer work? Do you take medicines? Do you accept the evidence of X-rays in hospital if you have a broken foot? Do you take your car to a mechanic to fix it when it breaks? Do you wear glasses? Do you use detergents to clean your laundry? Do you use electric lightbulbs in your house? Television? Radio? Do you wear a watch to tell you the time? Ever flown in an aeroplane? Used a mobile phone? Looked through a telescope?

All of that is the application of science, so you answer: is it just a bunch of abstractions to hide behind?

Answer 4

Nope, science is a collection of knowledge which tries to understand the behavior of reality. I would say the definition you give applies more to astrology, esp new age and the paranormal garbage.

Answer 5

No, science is a bunch of theories, postulates, axioms, corollaries and formulas which are supposed to make sense out of what we see and allow us to calculate how the universe behaves. (Reality).

Answer 6

science is the reason that i go to school
science is the truth coz it has evidence for proof
brainznot_love