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2.0.0 How Things Happen: Science - OverviewVersion 1.3 March 2012                                              (Previous Version) Science tells us how the world works. History tells us how human society has changed over time. Donald Rumsfeld, the American Secretary for Defense, in 2002 used the expression “known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns” when talking about starting America’s war with Iraq. He wasn’t the first to use the expression, but he was ridiculed for it. But it is a useful perspective that applies to many areas of life where we can't be completely certain. Science can tell us a lot about how the physical world works.  Science has a good story to tell about how the world began, and how we humans got to be as we are. These are the known knowns. Scientists know there are many gaps in our knowledge (eg regarding dark energy), and critical areas where our fundamental theories don't apply (like black holes). They are working on filling these gaps and devising more universally applicable theories. (Physicists are searching for the Theory of Everything – which will make them superciliously happy, but doesn’t address many human problems.) These are the known unknowns. Over time we’ll also discover things that nobody knew we didn’t know: the unknown unknowns. There are also the “unknown knowns” which many people overlook.  In reality many people act as though most – not all – others are considerate and reliable, even when they would not say so. Overall, science’s current stories, despite their flaws, are still good, and they will be replaced only by better ones.  Basing our current beliefs on the current scientific consensus helps us to understand the bases we have for choosing how to behave better and more effectively than non-scientific alternatives. ------------------------- The introduction has a short summary of our scientific conclusions in less than 100 words (see 0.3.2). The slightly longer overview below covers the same conclusions in slightly more detail. Part 2 Conclusions on Science            (long version 1.3 March 2013) Science has explanations of how the universe, the world, life, humans and humanity evolved. Science provides many of the reasons why things are as they are. ●       Science describes the basic nature of matter and energy, the nature of the earth and the life it supports, and our human nature. ●       Science helps us to understand the human condition: our sexuality, our drives, our personalities. It explains why we are sometimes courageous and sometimes stupid. It explains the origins of racism and sexism and why they are no longer appropriate. ●       Science explains where good and evil come from – pain and suffering, and our sense of justice, fairness and connection to our community. ●       Science explains our sense of beauty and awe and our appreciation of music. ●       Science shows us the wonder of the universe, its majesty, power and mystery, its complexity, connectedness, unity, and the oneness of the “All”. more The next few pages give an overview of the scientific method, cosmology, geology, chemistry, biology, primatology and neuroscience.
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