Science+and+Paradigmatic+Shifts


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Paradigmatic Shifts in the world: Industrial Revolution Renaissance Enlightenment Neolithic Revolution Creation of computers (“Digital Revolution”)

In this article written by Carl Sagan, he attempts to present to us a way to ensure that facts we receive are true. We need to be able to distinguish between the truth and “baloney.” And so he suggests his baloney detection methods. These methods can be narrowed down to two different aspects. The first aspect is skeptical thinking. According to Sagan, one must be skeptical and not immediately accept something. He also suggests that you be skeptical when creating a hypothesis as well, and not just defend your hypothesis simply because it’s yours. You need to question it every now and then to see if it still holds true. In addition to skeptical thinking, the second aspect in the baloney detection methods is to “recognize the most common and perilous fallacies of logic and rhetoric.” He goes on to list several different kinds of fallacies and gives examples of these different kinds. I found Sagan’s perspective quite interesting, but I disagree with the fact that one must be entirely skeptical with everything. Skepticism is not necessary to be used in everything. For example, faith (a way of knowing) does not usually require skepticism. Another example is instinct. One does not necessarily need to be skeptical in regards to his/her instincts because it is a built-in thing in the human body and completely natural. To question an instinct would generally be a waste of time. That may also be the same case with faith sometime. The whole point of faith is that if you’re happy with your faith, there is no reason for being skeptical towards it. You accept it unconditionally (but not blindly).
 * "The Fine Art of Baloney Detecting" **

Scientific knowledge is valued both for its own sake and for the technology that makes it possible. You cannot value science because of the technology it gives you without actually valuing the scientific knowledge itself. This is because if you value the technology that it makes possible, you need to be glad that you were able to have the scientific knowledge in the first place, considering that without that scientific knowledge that you gained, you would not have the technology that it gives you. However, this may be regarded as circular reasoning. Another reason as to why scientific knowledge is valued both for its own sake and for the technology that makes it possible is that the technology made possible by the scientific knowledge keeps progressing as the scientific knowledge itself keeps progressing. Therefore, the knowledge is valued because it can still be expanded upon, and with this expansion comes along the advancement of the technology. There are some sciences that can be pursued without the use of technology. Sherlock Holmes may argue that he excels in such a science: the Science of Deduction (reference to the second chapter in “A Study in Scarlet” and the first chapter in “The Sign of Four”). Other sciences exist, too, that do not depend solely on technology in order to gain information. This includes nearly all fields, as basic information in the early years of these sciences was gained without technology. For example, basic astronomical knowledge was gained simply by observing the sky. Basic knowledge of chemistry was gained by the discovery of how to make fire. And there were several other instances in which scientific knowledge was pursued without the use of technology. Most of these instances, such as the discovery of something as momentous as fire, were usually as a result of survival instincts. As science progressed, these discoveries were expanded upon.
 * Is scientific knowledge valued more for its own sake or for the technology that it makes possible? Is there any science that can be pursued without the use of technology?**