A Philosopher Looks at Science by John G. Kemeny
“Perhaps what we have learned so far is really very little. But when we consider that the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, the attempt to answer these fundamental questions has been one of the greatest driving forces for all intellectual pursuits, then it is comforting to note that in all probability the questions, or at least some of them, will forever remain unanswered.”
What is the book about as a whole?
The book is about science from the perspective of a philosopher, it mainly inquires about these three questions:
Insights and notions acquired from the book
The book is about science from the perspective of a philosopher, it mainly inquires about these three questions:
- What does science presupposes?
- What is science?
- What are the problems raised by science?
Insights and notions acquired from the book
- Language has vagueness, it can mean to much and it also arises emotions.
- The language of science is mathematics, which can be used on all sciences and it doesn't arises emotions.
- All measurements are subject to error.
- Science must start with facts and end with facts.
- The steps to interpret facts are: induction, deduction and verification.
- We have to assume.
- We must have general theories and these theories must be well established.
- A theory must be true and it has to tell us something about reality; we have to experience it.
- Scientific Method is the cycle of induction, deduction, and verification; its eternal search for improvement of theories which are only tentatively held.
- There are two branches of subject matter:
- Physics, chemistry, biology, psychology.
- Social sciences.
- Determinism is every fact in the universe, guided entirely by law.
- Monoistic establishes that there is no fundamental difference between mind and matter.
- Dualistic establishes that they assert a basic distinction between mind and matter.
- "Prediction of human action is perhaps the most complex problem facing the scientist".
- Science cannot define value statements, which are an assertion that something is good or desirable.
- Kemeny concludes that scientific method can be applied to social sciences.
- There are limitations in our search for truth.
- The method of science is very important.
- Our information is only an approximation.
- No scientific theory is final.
“Begin at the beginning, and go till you come to the end: then stop.”