I think it is important to know what science is, to know what its limits are or should be and where it can take humanity. Let us be clear, we are talking about Western science, because make no mistake that is the dominant science in the world. There are other sciences in the world; North American First Nations, Tibetans, Asian cultures all have science. What is happening though, through colonial methods, Western science has become this 'know-it-all" for the rest of the world. It tries to give explanations that people have to basically take with blind faith because after all it is SCIENCE. Pure Western science is about isolating something, adding something and seeing the reaction or cause. Truth is many things in life do not lend itself to this type of explanatory method. But if Science says it, even though you could technically find a scientist and their science to go to bat on all sides of an argument we must believe. Any science, Western or otherwise has its beliefs, its blind faith, its ethics, its methods of practice, its gurus. For that i think Western science is a form of religion. But it is a religion absent of spiritual belief. That division of mind, body, spirit; which Western science has worked very hard on achieving over the centuries. Limiting itself in less than humane ways?
So should it have its limits? Heh it can go crazy in the lab out for all i care…mad scientists unite! But we must allow for other explanations; other truths to be heard. Take for example any environmental project being proposed. The wait....let us see what 'the science' will tell us. Well science may be able to tell us that, for example; the gold mine tailings pond will eventually overflow with rain and poison ground water and local’s wells with cyanide and arsenic....or not….the pond will be reinforced and the risk is remote, count on xyz. But what about the First Nations philosophy on seventh generation and what that means in terms of digging up millions of tons of earth to find adorning metal? Or what about the psycho-social consequences on our collective consciousness in doing such inexcusable damage to the earth as our Great Mother? These opinions generally matter not, regardless of the side of the argument science takes, because Western Science is the voice of reason...right? ‘Science will save us!’ so it is the only voice that matters. But whose reason, whose voice is it? And if it does not represent all peoples, regardless of its claim to “finding the truth” then yes it should have limits, it should be a voice, equal with other voices rather then the dominant one, which it has become.
There are all kinds of forms of science, paranormal science, Christian science, on and on, so what limits could it possibly have when everything becomes science in the tradition of Western Science? Unless someone yells loud enough, or present day laws stop it, or the money well dries, it will go wherever it wants.
This is getting too long, i apologize i am new here. But take space travel for example, what is the point of spending so much money and resources on that, when people on earth starve, or die without running water? Science has become a key player tapped into a little thing called ‘progress’ and this is very dangerous, because in striving for the golden calf, it does lose its humanity. Maybe we already know what we should know at this point.
:flowers:
