The Sciences and Personal Knowledge

            The impact natural sciences have had on me, I think, is mostly evident in the way I think of the world and its problems and solutions. The way science approaches the unknown, by performing experiments and observing the results, and recording the exact procedure so that there can be oversight and repeatable results; the scientific method, is appealing to me personally. In my own life, I try to approach issues as objectively as possible, even political issues. In terms of scientific discovery, personally I have no issue with the scientific method, and am quite happy with it as a result. In a TOK context, the scientific method of course is reliant on our physical senses, and perceiving things as human beings, which shapes the way we do and understand science. We create models to understand things unobservable to the unaided human eye, such as the model of an atom. The issues that the observation method brings up, such as “The Observer Effect” and “Experimental Bias”, while valid points, related to the flaws of observation as a method itself, the question I’d ask in response is; “What is the practical alternative to the scientific method.

As for other areas of life, as I’ve mentioned before, I find that the scientific method/ observation is a good tool for a lot of areas of life unrelated to science. I think that even politics could use the scientific method, or at least use more logic, in that solutions to problems should take into consider the best way to solve a problem, as well as keeping the public happy. Yes, I do acknowledge that science, because it is undertaken by us humans can never be truly objective, but I think because of the transparent, verifiable, and observable manner in which scientific research is conducted, makes it a lot more transparent than a lot, if not most, other methods.

Finally, dealing with the topic of technology, there is a lot technology has done in terms of personal knowledge, not just for me personally. Because the sciences nowadays deal with things unobservable to the naked eye, scientists are dependent on technology, in order to carry out their experiments and record their observations. For me personally, the internet is a major example of a ‘game changer’ in the way personal knowledge is gained. We now have almost all of the collective knowledge of the world at our finger tips. I think the internet has allowed me and millions, if not billions, of people to access knowledge that would’ve been a lot more difficult to find, at a lower price (websites are free, usually, but books are not). I feel that the internet will enable people determined enough to succeed in science (as in people in, say, high school that are interested in science), to educate themselves and aid in their potential discoveries/scientific theories in the future. Science is dependent on the work of those who came before, as Isaac Newton said; “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” The internet has given the average person, and also aspiring scientists, easier access to the work of the giants that came before them. However, it should be noted that the validity of sources on the internet may not be as strong as it is in other forms of media.

To conclude, the continued use of the scientific method and the spread of the internet helps spread scientific knowledge, and may end up accelerating our rate of discovery.