What if science is wrong?

[MrSmith 10]

What if mathematics is wrong?

 

One thing that many scientists are wrong about, infinity, I know mathematicians and physicists hate the term.

[HeadingNorth 11]

Science is either correct or incorrect (no sentiment).

 

Strictly speaking, no, it is neither. Science is a process, not a result; the process is effective or ineffective, but the question of right and wrong can't sensibly be applied to it.

 

For four hundred years, the process has been incredibly effective, not least because it provides for self-correction of the results that come out of it.

[Cyclone 10]

Last night I was watching something scientific. It got me thinking, what if the evidence we believe we have for scientific theories has been interpreted in a way to suit the scientists agenda or simply misinterpreted? Did we interpret things a particular way because it fit what we were looking for?

It's all open to question and revision, there is nothing that you must accept on faith. If you want to question something, go ahead and make the measurements and check it for yourself, if you can come up with a theory that explains the observations better then do it.

 

Now I'm pretty sure that the fact that I'm typing this on a computer is reason enough to believe scientists could be right about the majority of their work but, should I trust science just because things work?

This is engineering, not science.

 

Maybe believers in god are right. Perhaps we only discover how things work because god reveals the information to us in a way we understand. Hence why we will never truly understand some things.

That just sounds like a cop out to use when you can't figure something out.

[Cyclone 10]

But what if the scientific establishment are so comfortable in their positions that they would encourage other theories to be instantly ridiculed? Could this happen?

 

It wouldn't be science at that point, it would be dogma. The scientific method by nature is to question and to measure and to formulate (a hypothesis) and to try to make predictions which you then measure to see if they were accurate.

[dosxuk 10]

One thing that many scientists are wrong about, infinity, I know mathematicians and physicists hate the term.

 

Really? The only time I've know mathemeticians to get uppity about infinity is when people try to attach a value to it.

[skinz 10]

Strictly speaking, no, it is neither. Science is a process, not a result; the process is effective or ineffective, but the question of right and wrong can't sensibly be applied to it.

 

For four hundred years, the process has been incredibly effective, not least because it provides for self-correction of the results that come out of it.

 

Sorry, I meant to say the conclusion/s of science rather than science itself.

[Tony Erikson 10]

This is engineering, not science.

 

Thanks for the correction there. Blimey, that sentence has made me think.

[davi 10]

Mankind is continuously chasing after knowledge that nature already knows, and besides, how long is a piece of string theory?

[spooky3 10]

Mankind is continuously chasing after knowledge that nature already knows, and besides, how long is a piece of string theory?

 

Who is 'nature'?

 

 

Is that like Gaia theory or something?

[six45ive 10]

Everybody on this thread needs to watch this video then you may understand how ridiculous some of the comments are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcavPAFiG14

 

Great video. Answered the Op perfectly.

 

Thread over.

 

Thanks. I was tempted to make the same comment about the thread being over but some probably won't watch it or, even if they do, would just carry on dishing out the same drivel irrespective.

I particularly like the part where he talks about Cartography to explain that, just because there are certain anomalies in new theories, you don't automatically throw the theory out. As more knowledge is gained the theory becomes more refined and accurate over a period of time. The scientific method is simply the screening process that allows this 'fine tuning' and elimination of anomalies to occur.http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cartography

[Digsy 10]

Everybody on this thread needs to watch this video then you may understand how ridiculous some of the comments are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcavPAFiG14

 

Have you read the comments to that video.

[GrapeApe 10]

Last night I was watching something scientific. It got me thinking, what if the evidence we believe we have for scientific theories has been interpreted in a way to suit the scientists agenda or simply misinterpreted? Did we interpret things a particular way because it fit what we were looking for?

 

Now I'm pretty sure that the fact that I'm typing this on a computer is reason enough to believe scientists could be right about the majority of their work but, should I trust science just because things work?

 

Maybe believers in god are right. Perhaps we only discover how things work because god reveals the information to us in a way we understand. Hence why we will never truly understand some things.

 

In know its wikipedia but this might help you