what are the advantages and disadvantages of being a scientist?

Answer 1

Being a scientist is a form of escape from reality. It can be very rewarding, if one does not have a great ego and loves its work. For someone looking for recognition, it can turn out to be Dr. Jekill/Mr. Hide affair.

In the end, it may prove to be a somewhat childish endevour.

I remember when these two guys called a press conference to announce they had discovered "Cold Fusion", which turned out to be premature. Too bad for them.

But the reaction of the scientific community was appalling, to put it lightly. They were completely outraged, to the point that they wanted to hurt these guys. Talk about a scientific spirit. Wasn´t being wrong viz-a-viz the rest of the world punishment enough?

Colf fusion is a fact, but it is not quite clear how it works. It appears to be a cathalytic process and it is being tried at labs all over the world.

Answer 2

I'm not a scientist, but I believe that the scientific method is a valid method of searching for information about the Universe. For the purpose of answering this question, I'll consider as a scientist anyone who accepts the results of scientific inquiry.

Advantage: People who believe in the scientific method don't simply accept what professional "scientists" tell them. They follow the lead of intelligent people who have used the scientific method to logically come to conclusions about different aspects of the nature of the Universe. So, a "scientist" can use the example of more intelligent, more educated people as a path to knowledge. We don't simply accept the stated fact that the planets revolve around the Sun. We observe for ourselves.

It is definitely an advantage to learn about the Universe (including everything here on Earth) and be able to educate oneself enough to see the truth in stated fact.

DISADVANTAGE: The very nature of science dictates that we cannot truly know anything. The only "facts" that are indisputable are actually nothing more than definitions that explain various aspects of nature.

Mathematics, for instance, doesn't state a Truth. It is simply a model that defines the nature of things. The quantitiy two is always the quantity two. We can define it as "two", "dos", "due", "2", "II", "10", " * * ", etc. All we are really doing is using a symbol to represent reality. This is the case with all scientific theories. We are proposing a way of thinking that will help us to symbolize and understand reality.

Because of this, the biggest disadvantage of the scientific method is that any theory that we propose will likely be incomplete. It will be useful as far as it goes, but I don't think we'll ever find a thoery that explains everything in the Universe. If we did that, we would in essence have re-created the Universe. And that isn't within our grasp.

(Yes, I'm aware of M-Theory. It may be much more complete than Relativity or Quantum Physics, and it may find a way to encompass both fields. But I don't think it will truly define everything there is to know about this Universe.

FINAL THOUGHT: With science, we strive to understand the physical Universe. People who accept various religious beliefs are attempting to understand and unite with an unknown "source" that science cannot prove or disprove.

This could be considered a disadvantage, because science cannot prove that something does not exist. It can only say that nothing has yet been found to prove that it exists. Personally, I don't see this as a disadvantage, but some people do.

Answer 3

Advantages are good social prestige and job satisfaction if you love science. Disadvantages: low pay, lot of politics.