2. SCIENCE

Version 1.3 March 2013                                               (Previous Version)

Science is fun.  It can also be complicated. 

Most people probably accept that science helps us understand how things work, and that we can use science and technology to make our lives more comfortable.  Advances in science provide us with better food, houses, health and communications – but also weapons of mass destruction.

Many people blame science and technology for the apparent complexity and superficial materialism of modern life.  But science only provides a set of tools: which ones we use and how we use them are personal, commercial and political decisions – not made by scientists.

Many people, even some scientists, have a view of science that was “new� about 100 years ago.  Many people mix up their vague understandings of science, history, religion and politics.  We need to understand science if we want to choose the most effective way to live and to run the world.

Our currently accepted scientific theories provide better explanations for more aspects of the world than previous theories.  Still, they will be revised as scientists learn more, but in that case our current explanations will only be replaced by even better ones.

We look at science under the following headings, to see what we can learn from each subject area:

As we go through each area, we come to various conclusions about our origins and what the world is like.  These conclusions clarify the choices we can make that reflect our values. 

• Science doesn’t tell us what we should do.  Scientific reasoning and analysis of the evidence does not lead directly to core values;
• But no other method helps so much to decide what works and what doesn’t – to grow food, make things, treat the sick, or save the planet.  Science provides factual information that increases our understanding and guides our choices.  It helps to explain how we can achieve what we really value.  The choices science helps us to make reflect effecting values.

And as science advances and we learn more, science will enable us to make even better choices based on what we know at the time, so we can better effect our core values.