The Salutary Story Of Roger Penrose
Why it’s important to remember that science trembles on the edge of unreason
Scientific empiricism is the most significant development in the history of our species. Its effects have been far more profound than the invention of fire, the wheel, and any weapon created since one of our distant ancestors smashed the skull of his neighbor with a stone. Scientific empiricism has enabled the discipline of engineering (with its numerous specialties) to reshape the world in which we live.
Not surprisingly therefore, a great many people confuse science with religion. So-called “experts,” politicians, and journalists, all shout loudly about “following the science” as though science were some sort of divine infallible oracle or guru that points in the direction of salvation. “What does science say?” is a common question — and is utterly misguided. Science describes; it does not prescribe.
Furthermore, science is conducted by highly fallible human beings. Science stumbles and gropes its way forward, there are many significant errors that can take decades to reverse, and self-interest and fashion both play considerable roles in what ideas are promoted as “scientific.” We should remember that the great Newton also believed fervently in alchemy even as he proposed new ways to think about gravity and light, and back in his day all three interests would have been classified as equally valid areas of study for what back then was termed “natural philosophy.”
In short, we would do well to remember that there is no such monolithic and infallible entity called “science” but rather an ongoing process that is inevitably error-prone because it is done by highly fallible human beings. We know this even from the vapid headlines and inaccurate articles so beloved of so-called science journalists. Yesterday, coffee was the devil; today it protects against certain forms of bowel cancer. Yesterday resveratrol was the miracle ingredient in red wine; today we understand you’d have to consume gallons of the stuff each week in order to achieve any noticeable effect. Many aspects of science remain forever promises of a glorious but never-quite-reached future: fusion power and far too much of particle physics are two exemplars of this “next year in Jerusalem” mentality.
