Why Don't People Like Science?

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by Somkid

Most people fear truth.

That can be true. But those who fear truth most are usually pretty good at finding "reasons" why science doesn't produce truth.

[mr.guy]

Perhaps science has made itself too accessible.

I'm rather surprised more scientists don't often offer up a "figure it out yourself, you dumb jerk".

[Rolling_Stone]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Why don't more people like or enjoy science?

Good question. I don't know. Personally, I love science. It reinforces my rather unconventional theistic beliefs and from what I've seen, demolishes atheistic materialism.

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by Random

I love good science, but the problem is thus: that Scientific empiricists, those who conduct experiments and gather data from observations, are not as qualified to determine what the results properly infer about reality (ie. the facts of what the evidence available is actually evidence of) as the philosophers of science they generally disdain. Scientists today attempt to perform both functions, ie. experiment and then tell us what they think the results mean, but for me the empiricists and philosophers of science must be seperate specialist disciplines that are not (as presently) estranged from each other, but rather working together to produce ever yet more accurate facts about reality.

You do find that some trained scientists prefer the nuts and bolts of the lab, whereas some have a gift for taking results and braiding them together into the consistent causal explanations that make predictions of future experience and we call theories. Philosophers of science try to describe how science functions and are not necessarily trained in any field. Why do you feel they are more qualified than scientists to build scientific theories?

Originally Posted by Random

Secondly, all scientists must embrace the notion of Objective reality to proceed in any meaningful way, but that position is philosophically and scientifically untenable, being not a proven truth but merely a conceit to facilitate functionality.

It works rather well.

Originally Posted by Random

Bottom line is, you can't accept scientific dogma any more than you can religious dogma, so don't parrot "Science says..." this, that or the other, until you've verified the truth of the matter in your own experience (by studying the experimental data privately). Just like spirituality, same principle.

Well, you have a case there. However, the (translated) conclusions of scientific works are generally all that a layman can apprehend. I can't understand high level physics, it's written in an esoteric language. I do grasp high level bioscience due to my education and I can say with confidence that few people are going to understand the methodology and terminology of molecular genetics and the relationships of the components studied therein. What use would it be for them to sit down with lab data?

[YmirGF]

I rather suspect it is because many prefer the comfort of their religious ideals about reality rather than face reality head on.

[ChristineES]

I love science. I don't see how science could possibly disprove God to me. It hasn't yet.

[rojse]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Why don't more people like or enjoy science?

Because science does not do a good enough job telling everyone how important science is in their daily lives, how it's development leads to improvements in technology, and, from that, a more comfortable lifestyle. That will sway a lot of people.

[Papersock]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Why don't more people like or enjoy science?

Too many confusing theories and big words, maybe?

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Why don't more people like or enjoy science?

I've always loved it, and my experience is that most of my classmates quite enjoyed science. Perhaps some are turned off by the image problem.

[Francine]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Why don't more people like or enjoy science?

She blinded me with Science.