Does Science Over-reach?

Sunday, April 4, 2021
First Aired:
Sunday, July 22, 2018

What Is It

We've all heard the phrase, "You can't argue with science." Appealing to scientific fact as a way to settle a question makes sense given the amazing advancements science has brought us in understanding how the world works. But should we take the accomplishments of science as evidence for scientism—the view that science is the best and only way to acquire genuine knowledge? Does faith in science require that we disregard all non-scientific viewpoints? Are there important questions that science cannot answer? Josh and Ken collect their data with Massimo Pugliucci from the CUNY Graduate Center, editor ofScience Unlimited?: The Challenges of Scientism.

Part of a six-part series onIntellectual Humility.

Listening Notes

Can science explain everything? Josh argues that science cannot measure beauty or significance or tell us what is right or wrong, while Ken holds that if those things are objective, we can be sure that a science to evaluate them can be developed. Ken asks: humans are products of the nature world, so can’t there be a “science of meaning-making”? Josh answers no, for science has its limitations. Even the best science, he says, cannot answer the questions that humans most care about.

The philosophers welcome Massimo Pigliucci, professor of philosophy at City University of New York and co-editor ofScience Unlimited? The Challenges of Scientism,到节目。马西莫解释了他是如何在作为一名生物学家学习和工作了20年之后对科学哲学产生兴趣的。肯请马西莫做几个区分:伪科学和科学之间的区别,以及科学理解中涉及的和不涉及的区别。接下来,哲学家们讨论了威尔弗里德·塞拉斯(Wilfrid Sellars)对显性形象和科学形象的对比,以及后者如何常常不能帮助我们理解前者。Discussing various topics such as the biology of gender, reason’s place in science, and literature as delivery of phenomenological experience, the philosophers debate whether numbers and calculations can capture the human experience itself.

One caller offers that science is an ongoing process that has rigor to it, but is constantly self-correcting and evolving. Ken likes this idea, and the philosophers further discuss how scientific theories and philosophical accounts differ. Massimo suggests that scientific findings sometimes do not matter, taking the question of whether gender is biological or not as an example. Ken pushes back on this, and the philosophers conclude by emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary conversations among philosophers and scientists alike.

Roving Philosophical Report (seek to 3:55) →Roving Philosophical Reporter Liza Veale endeavors to answer the question: is gender more than a social construct? She interviews philosopher Helen Longino and poet Andrea Gibson on their thoughts.

Sixty-Second Philosopher (seek to 46:45) →Ian Shoales discusses how pseudo-science seems to be rampant as ever in society today.

Transcript

Comments(18)


johnqeniac's picture

johnqeniac

Sunday, July 22, 2018 -- 11:13 AM

you said, 'you have to

you said, 'you have to recognize the limits of science'. Since you are certain that science has limits (based on what evidence?) please state examples of phenomena which are intrinsically beyond the capacity of science to explain. And please give your evidence for that claim. Also, remember that the success of science is fundamentally measured by its power to predict outcomes based upon data and the models and equations developed to explain the measured data.

johnqeniac's picture

johnqeniac

Sunday, July 22, 2018 -- 11:18 AM

remember that we should be

remember that we should be talking about the scientific method, not about scientists. both scientists and philosophers can be arrogant, misguided assholes because humans are all flawed, weak, and irrational. but the scientific method is designed to overcome (collectively and over time) precisely the pitifully foolish, limited, and irrational nature of weak-minded human beings. philosophy by its nature never makes progress. the scientific method realist in continuous expansion of knowledge and predictability. please address the real issue - not universal human weakness but the best methodology for understanding the nature of the world (of which, human minds are a part).

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Friday, March 19, 2021 -- 9:12 AM

Science and not scientists is

Science and not scientists is a good point and perspective. Science itself can also make blunders though when the method is applied without morality. American eugenics is an infamous example. One that has spawned much suffering both here and abroad. It still does.

人类可能意志薄弱。然而,科学是一种人类活动,两者不能分离。

johnqeniac's picture

johnqeniac

Sunday, July 22, 2018 -- 11:34 AM

sam harris tried to outline a

sam harris tried to outline a framework for studying morality and values, which he called 'the moral landscape'.

它被许多科学家和哲学家预先和条件反射地嘲笑和驳回,但没有真正地检验他的论点。

请讨论哈里斯的道德景观框架。

thanks,

greg slater

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Friday, March 19, 2021 -- 9:03 AM

Harris staked an essay

哈里斯发起了一场作文比赛,用一千字或更少的文字驳斥他的道德景观主张。萨姆喜欢简明扼要。获胜者(由一位公正的哲学家选出)获得2000美元的奖金。The real prize was 20000+ dollars if he was persuaded by this essay.

https://samharris.org/the-moral-landscape-challenge/

一千个单词是不够的,有趣的是山姆回答了4314个单词,减去其中141个是比赛获胜者引用的。

https://samharris.org/clarifying-the-landscape/

哈里斯的道德观是功利主义和物质主义的。除了他的大脑提供给他的以外,他不承认任何外在的现实。

Hmm... what could possibly go wrong here?

首先,真的没什么,除了极度缺乏谦逊。第二,我们的感官是不完美的,我们的分析能力从属于它们所来自的本体感知目的。最后,突然出现的和绝对的错误在道德上留下了漏洞,任何斧头杀手都有可能逃脱。

All three of these points are captured in this youtube. My son was a Columbine shooter. This is my story | Sue Klebold -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXlnrFpCu0c.

What if science proved that kids were better off with corporal punishment? Would that make it OK?

There are other questions here but I don't aspire to 1000 words much less 4000. I think that is enough. The fact that Sam Harris decided to have kids is probably enough for him. Some people can lose that opportunity as well, given our former president's comments about his daughter's hotness and his pathological narcissism.

Humility is a opportunity sometimes squandered.

This is enough to start this discussion on Harris' moral landscape. I'm not done with it, though.

Philosophy seems easy. Many choices are made for us (in fact, all choices are made for us if you take Harris' view on free will - which I am reluctant to take - but do.) Philosophy isn't straightforward, however. It takes years of reading, thinking, talking, and writing to get it done. Previously only privileged men and Diogenes had that opportunity. I'm going to be interested to see if Harris qualifies his game more in the years to come. The moral landscape has a topology we haven't even begun to explore or fathom.

johnqeniac's picture

johnqeniac

Sunday, July 22, 2018 -- 11:41 AM

It is not clear that science

It is not clear that science can or cannot ever have a theory of moral value, or explain emergent phenomena, but we can say definitively that philosophy never can give a definitive theory.
所以,我们可以举出无数科学在解释世界方面的成就,但你能举出一个哲学或宗教在解释世界本质方面的决定性成就的例子吗?我不这么想。哲学和宗教总是对科学的最新发现做出反应,拼命地重新设计他们的学说以跟上科学的步伐。
can it possibly be you and Pigliucci fail to recognize this?
- Greg Slater

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 -- 8:58 PM

Greg,

Greg,

You can't be serious as to not live by even one learning taken from religion or philosophy in your life?

不如这样-己所不欲,勿施于人。
你会在杂货店排队、插队或抢在别人前面吗?
过好生活意味着什么?

我们得到了太多的东西。哲学就是其中之一。听起来你的感情很紧张。它是什么?

科学哲学是无法检验的。

One example - Golden rule is the classic. Do unto other others as you would have them do unto you.

johnqeniac's picture

johnqeniac

Sunday, July 22, 2018 -- 11:48 AM

Pigliucci, without apparently

皮格里奇(Pigliucci)显然没有意识到这一点,只是提出了这样一个例子:哲学(最多)就像数学,你可以从某些公设中推导出任何数量的数学定理,但这些定理不能预测世界,只能说它们具有自我一致性(尽管,当然,参见哥德尔)。

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Friday, March 19, 2021 -- 7:35 AM

Greg,

Greg,

I don't think Massimo would disagree with this. Sam Harris may think this a flaw. It is a feature.

One of the best things about Philosophy, and I am far from done with it, is that it is never done. That is the one ground on which both Philosophy and Science sit. Remember, philosophy is where science started.

That is true of these posts and this site and books in general. Philosophy yields to science because it is science in a sense. It is the science of what is not yet known. If math and philosophy are worthy of comparison - the golden rule may be a comparative string theory.

I'm sorry not to have listened to this show in 2018. Your views have changed I'm sure. Harris' have not so much which is a sign. I've been reading his work on moral landscapes. Let me respond there. I don't really care too much for Sam Harris because he is never wrong apparently. He doesn't share that with Science. Science always starts from ignorance. It progresses through failure not to knowledge but rather back to ignorance. Some might say QED is knowledge but there is still unknown. In fact greater questions from that unknown. String theory or loop quantum gravity definitely will not offer finer truth or even address emergent questions of biology in the long run.

I think Pigliucci knows he is on unstable ground.

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Monday, July 23, 2018 -- 10:57 AM

I did not read the previous

I did not read the previous comments on this post. I shall try to keep my own brief. Firstly, I do not know that science has a lock on acquisition of genuine knowledge. There are many facts which are obtainable, without resorting to scientific method and inquiry. Those who are anti-science may argue the over-reach viewpoint. They may be doing so, however, based on some system of ethical or moral belief, arguably unrelated to a scientific approach. As a practical matter, any notion of curtailing science is passe in a modern world. There is too little to gain; too much to lose...

MJA's picture

MJA

Tuesday, July 24, 2018 -- 5:16 AM

I hope science One day finds

I hope science One day finds wisdom too. =

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Tuesday, March 2, 2021 -- 6:35 AM

Looked back at what I wrote

Looked back at what I wrote in 2018. Thought about the original question on overreach. Inasmuch as a lot has happened, I wonder if that question was the wrong one. Should it rather be asked: Is overreach by science beneficial of harmful, or do the benefits outweigh the harm? I guess, technically, those are two questions?

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 -- 8:21 PM

Humanity is dependent on

在这一点上,人类依赖于科学。如果没有哈伯-博世法来固定氮,我们就无法养活自己。单就这一过程而言,科学可能已经过度了,因为它允许人类人口不受控制地增长。

I know this isn't what is being discussed, but when human activities like this become so vital, they tend to over-reach. Agriculture would be a similar type of behavior.

This podcast, however, is talking about scope. Greg above has asked some excellent questions. I'm no Sam Harris fan, but I intend to delve into that to answer Greg's request to discuss Harris' moral landscape framework. It is interesting if categorically faulty.

The fact that people like Greg and others can be so taken in by Harris is science over-reach to an extreme. With science comes a commitment to reading the textbooks, papers and doing the work. Belief in science without learning has serious founding issues. Science and math are not fundamentally sound in a Godelian sense. The rewards come from understanding and building on the work of others. Insert shoulders of giants here. Blind faith in science is going to get us in profound and deep problematic if not fatal space. It already has. Let's call that over-reach if that will help.

These are heady times for science. SARS2, genomics, CRISPR Cas9 ... so many wondrous learnings are coming. I'm hoping we don't lose our humanity pushing on at Elon speeds with Zuckerberg's ethics. That also would be over-reach.

Good show. I wasn't happy with the lack of response to some of the callers. Current pre-recorded methods are integrating listener feedbacks into discussion flow. Please don't ignore odd questions... that is where the beauty lies.

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Saturday, March 20, 2021 -- 5:10 AM

Tim:

Tim:
Found your comments helpful. I think your assessment regarding dependence is especially spot on.
We find utility where we may, and create it when we must.

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Sunday, March 28, 2021 -- 2:19 PM

Did not find a post where

Did not find a post where this comment might fit. Inasmuch as Harris' name arose here, thought it the best venue. In his recent podcast. Sam talks about some confusions. The post parodies, or appears to do so, John Searle, by presenting a sketch of his face in a cloud...the picture coming from the cover of one of Searle's books.I said I found the representation offensive. Doesn't matter much, I
suppose.. But, I find it offensive. And, my opinion is unnoticed. Others, with whom I have disagreed, are fair enough. This is comforting. I guess my best point is: John Searle has/had a successful life as a philosopher. If Harris, or anyone else, seeks to discredit him, this must be due to their own insecurity or wish to advance their own agenda. IMHO, There it is, then. This is not simply a matter of philosophy. IT asks questions. Then, it does not like the answers. Argues with itself. Drags down its own. Crabs, in a bucket...Is that all we've got?

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 -- 10:52 AM

Harold,

Harold,

This is not a pipe.

I don't think Sam Harris is referencing Searle at all there (https://samharris.org/podcasts/243-points-confusion/.) That is a stock photo listed by Getty Images (?- it might be open licensed) used in a Scientific American article in 2018 (https://tinyurl.com/474bek62) and possibly as early as 2000 as cover art for a Turkish novel 'Hacivat Seni Cagiriyor' by Bahri Vardarlilar. (https://tinyurl.com/ne2c6pbx.) At least that is what my Tin Eye sees.

我是一把椅子,但我的批评是它引用了雷内·马格利特的《人子》,这也是Searle在他的书《心灵——简要介绍》的封面上使用的(这是马格利特的另一幅画,名为《一战》,以这幅画为基础——有两个名字,一个男人,另一个女人),这是一个系列的一部分,我必须提到,由PT的约翰·佩里编辑!

It's a stretch to think that Harris is referencing this book here. The podcast is about meditation. Harris feels that people don't understand him - kind of like 'This is not an apple' perhaps. I think that people understand Sam Harris all too well, however.

The son of man is also the inspiration for the Beatles Apple records and Apple computers - but stories are just that.

On the other hand, Searle is no paragon or proxy for philosophy and can be roundly critiqued and made fun of (https://dailynous.com/2019/06/21/searle-found-violated-sexual-harassment....) That is true for all philosophers. We need to separate the ideas from the brains, bodies, and moral detritus that life leaves in our wake.

Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Monday, April 19, 2021 -- 5:21 AM

Well-stated. And no, Searle

Well-stated. And no, Searle is not the end-all of philosophy. His approach to thinking is novel but not genius. I like his style because it is, more or less, 'take it or leave it'. Sure, we disagree on his importance. That's how people are. So,keep up the good work. And, I'll do the best I can.

Tim Smith's picture

Tim Smith

Monday, April 19, 2021 -- 11:27 AM

This is generous Harold.

This is generous Harold.

Searle是超级重要的,如果只是对中国房间…还有更多。
他的所作所为是不可原谅的,给他的遗产带来了压力。

He certainly treated women better than Kant ever did.

爱因斯坦在他的第一次婚姻中也不是最好的人。
我越期待天才,我就越不欣赏他。We are all human.

Thanks for this and your attention here in PT. I appreciate your thoughts and contributions and read every post.
That one can do that here is a luxury.

我期待戴维森展,在那里我们可以得到它。

Best.