What is of greater value; scientific knowledge, or metaphysical beliefs? Science and metaphysics, or pseudoscience, are two different things that help us develop better understandings of the world around us. Should one hold more value than the other? Is there a scientific explanation for the human condition? Can science tell us our purpose in life? Is it foolish for an educated person to place their beliefs into myth? Where should we look for the meaning of human existence? Some of these questions have simple answers, others are more difficult. Throughout my life I have found myself walking a fine line that stretches between science and metaphysics, trying to find the balance between the two. At times I place more value into scientific
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Science deals with our understanding of the physical world around us. We use it to test theories that we’ve formed through observation. By actively testing the theories with the intent of disproving them, we gather more information that supports our idea. However, pseudoscience is a belief that is often presented as being scientific, but does not hold up against the scientific method because it cannot be tested or disproven. Popper discusses that it is an issue when someone considers pseudoscience to be a science. With pseudoscience, people often times support their theories by looking for confirmations instead of trying to test them for falsifiability. This happens because pseudoscience deals a lot with things that cannot be actively observed or measured. (199-202) Though these two are different, both science and pseudoscience hold great values towards an individual 's life. Nonetheless, I place more value in science than in myth. There is simply more information to support it. To explain, if I became sick and was given the choice of seeking medical treatment or relying solely upon prayer, I would chose medical treatment. Science gives me a factual understanding of my body. Therefore, with the information that science provides, I would have a more likely chance of being cured. Science gives us a great amount of insight towards understanding our biology, which can help …show more content…
Since science deals with the physical world, but can it explain the bigger questions of life? There is no scientific formula that can determine whether or not we as humans were placed on the Earth for a specific reason. So instead we turn to metaphysics to answer these questions. Sovacool and Brown noted that we use myths as a coping mechanism for things that we don’t understand. Understanding the reason behind the myth gives important insights to our society. For example, one myth that we have is that we will be able to find alternate fuel sources before we fully exhaust our own. Instead of dealing with the issue at hand and minimizing our energy consumption, we are trying to find new resources to support of lifestyles. (240-242) There are plenty of scientific facts that show how we’ve been depleting the Earth of its natural resources, but instead the problem at hand, we instead use the myth of finding alternate fuel sources as a coping mechanism. Sometimes it’s just easier to place your faith into something that may not be true. So is it foolish for an educated person to place their beliefs into
Science deals with our understanding of the physical world around us. We use it to test theories that we’ve formed through observation. By actively testing the theories with the intent of disproving them, we gather more information that supports our idea. However, pseudoscience is a belief that is often presented as being scientific, but does not hold up against the scientific method because it cannot be tested or disproven. Popper discusses that it is an issue when someone considers pseudoscience to be a science. With pseudoscience, people often times support their theories by looking for confirmations instead of trying to test them for falsifiability. This happens because pseudoscience deals a lot with things that cannot be actively observed or measured. (199-202) Though these two are different, both science and pseudoscience hold great values towards an individual 's life. Nonetheless, I place more value in science than in myth. There is simply more information to support it. To explain, if I became sick and was given the choice of seeking medical treatment or relying solely upon prayer, I would chose medical treatment. Science gives me a factual understanding of my body. Therefore, with the information that science provides, I would have a more likely chance of being cured. Science gives us a great amount of insight towards understanding our biology, which can help …show more content…
Since science deals with the physical world, but can it explain the bigger questions of life? There is no scientific formula that can determine whether or not we as humans were placed on the Earth for a specific reason. So instead we turn to metaphysics to answer these questions. Sovacool and Brown noted that we use myths as a coping mechanism for things that we don’t understand. Understanding the reason behind the myth gives important insights to our society. For example, one myth that we have is that we will be able to find alternate fuel sources before we fully exhaust our own. Instead of dealing with the issue at hand and minimizing our energy consumption, we are trying to find new resources to support of lifestyles. (240-242) There are plenty of scientific facts that show how we’ve been depleting the Earth of its natural resources, but instead the problem at hand, we instead use the myth of finding alternate fuel sources as a coping mechanism. Sometimes it’s just easier to place your faith into something that may not be true. So is it foolish for an educated person to place their beliefs into