recategorized by
407 views
0 votes
0 votes

Science, because people engage in it, is a socially embedded activity. It progresses by hunch, vision, and intuition. Much of its change through time does not record a closer approach to absolute truth, but the alternation of the cultural contexts that influence it so strongly. Facts are not pure and unsullied bits of information - culture influences what we see and how we see it. Theories, moreover, are not inexorable inductions from facts. The most creative theories are often imaginative visions imposed upon facts; the source of imagination is also strongly cultural. The author implies that those who rely on scientific results should 

  1. Realize that science relies on imagination to approach absolute truth 
  2. Insist on pure and unsullied facts rather than on theories 
  3. Understand that theories are frequently strict inductions from facts 
  4. Consider the cultural biases of scientists 
recategorized by

Please log in or register to answer this question.

Related questions