Science, technology and human nature

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Science, technology and human nature
An essay about the three driving forces of society (Part 1)
By Dr J Floor Anthoni (2001)
www.seafriends.org.nz/issues/probl/science.htm

In a rapidly deteriorating world where problems manifest themselves at an ever increasing rate, while becoming also more complicated, humanity relies on its ultimate weapon of defence, science and technology. Science and scientists, together with technology, are our hope for the future, but do we know their strengths and weaknesses? Aren't problems caused only by people assisted by technology? Shouldn't we therefore examine the nature of humans as well? This chapter examines these issues frankly, in order to show where we can and should improve our act. In other words, if science, technology and human nature have caused our global problems, what hope do we have of solving them using the same?

The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.
- Albert Einstein

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this long document consists of four parts: part1 (this page), part2, part3, part4 according to their colours

introduction		Why do we need to understand science and the scientist? Why have science and technology failed us? How did knowledge evolve and what were the factors that accelerated it? These are important and provocative questions.
what is science?		It is the human brain that developed awareness to knowledge. In the course of human evolution, the brain developed memory. While some of our senses sharpened, others dulled. Science has been exercised for hundreds of thousands of years, but has recently been ascending at an exponential rate. Why?
the scientific method		Humans have various ways of thinking, from ancient emotions to new-brain reasoning, and they all interact. Scientific thinking attempts to be objective. Read how the scientific method raises scientific knowledge above doubt, and how hypotheses and theories are formed and results published.
how science works		An insight into the practical workings of science. Not a very nice story. Scientists are in a race, competing with other scientists to be first, and also competing for limited funds. Many of these practices do not benefit science.
peer review		In order to protect the quality of scientific publications, each paper is subjected to anonymous peer review. But is this a good practice?
limits to science		Science is limited, not only by the capacity of our brains, but also by many other factors, such as the enormity of a problem, previous knowledge, the limitations of what we can do now, our present state of technology, and so on.
hidden types of science		Although not intuitively evident, all knowledge can be divided into four mutually-exclusive (non-overlapping) types depending on whether we are aware that we either know or don't know. What are these and what is the role of outsiders and skeptics and overlooked science?
the political mind-set		The political mind-set of recent years, dominated by neo-classical freemarket ideology, has not helped science.
strengths & weaknesses of scientists		Scientists are often not aware of their limitations and those imposed by the systems they have created themselves, or the confines placed upon them by society.
strengths & weaknesses of the public		Ironically, the public has strengths where scientists have weaknesses, and vice versa, suggesting that synergy between the two is bound to help both.
how science is affected by brownlash		Where newfound facts suggest people alter their ways, first reaction is to either ignore it or oppose it vehemently. The brownlash is anti-science propaganda that could harm society and science, but that could also strengthen it.
how to communicate science		Scientists by nature of their specialisation, have isolated themselves from the public and society at large. Communication is necessary to allow the public to play their part and to make science benefit society. How to do it, is a form of art.
technology		When science is applied to create advantage, it is called technology. Armies and businesses have always been interested in such advantage, to the extent that much scientific work is funded this way. It has both advantages and disadvantages. Technology is behaving like a runaway monster, totally out of control. The question remains: can we control it and do we want to?
human nature		In the end, all our problems can be traced back to humans, for without this species there would be no problems. So it would be helpful to understand human nature, however cynical it may sound.
scientific corruption		The scientific endeavour should be strictly honest, but often scientists are not. Recent revelations known as climategate have shown the nasty side of science, as always power, funding, beliefs and reputation are involved.
the new world view		Perhaps we won't be able to solve our problems because our world view is incorrect. Perhaps we will need to turn all our thinking upside down.
conclusion		Wrapping it all up and giving indications of how to find solutions.
what's new		Recent additions and changes to this page.
related pages on this web site		New Ideas in Science: Dr. Thomas Gold analyses the herd instinct that leads to scientific consensus. (7p) resource management: knowledge can be considered a resource, so how could it be managed? (22 p) timetable of mankind: the most important discoveries affecting the course of history. (24 pages) threats: a summary of the world's problems, arriving from many directions. (20 pages) conservation: the principles and practice of conservation with emphasis on marine conservation. (large) belief systems: a summary of the many beliefs, still active today, stifling rational thought. (23 pages) sitemap: discover what the Seafriends web site is all about. (11p)

go to part2 <=> go to part3 <=> go to part4

Reader please note that the issues raised in this article, have been caricatured. So when it says that scientists can't do this or that, it should be read as most scientists... or in general, scientists .... Exceptions to a rule can always be found. The name Man is used to denote mankind. Also please note that this document is updated from time to time.

For suggestions and feedback, please e-mail the author. Read tips for printing for best results.
The whole document covers about 0.15 MB, 35 printed pages.

--Seafriends home--sitemap-- Revised: 20010816,20051103,20070412,20070725,20100218,20170617,

Introduction

In a rapidly deteriorating world where problems manifest themselves at an ever increasing rate, while also becoming more complicated, humanity relies on its ultimate weapon of defence, science and technology. Science and scientists, together with technology, are our hope for the future, but do we know their strengths and weaknesses? How much can we rely on them? This chapter examines these issues, in order to show where our tools can be sharpened, and to expose some glaring deficiencies.

Science and technology do not stand apart, indeed technology is defined as applied science to give advantage. It has given us so much advantage that we have become able to exceed the natural confines of our environment, whereas the millions of creatures around us are not able to do so:

We have escaped the rule that what you can own, is only what you can carry.
We are no longer bound by the constraint that what you can eat today, is all you can feed on.
We are no longer limited by how much we feed, depending on how far we can walk.
We have subsidised everything we do with cheap fossil energy. We have over fifty fossil slaves each at our disposal, day and night.
We produce more food than we can eat. Populations increase accordingly.
We have conquered diseases that once kept a check on population size.
We no longer die by being unfit.
We maintain a burgeoning army of bureaucrats and people who do not contribute to our basic needs, including the military, scientists, artists and technocrats.
We are being spared the consequences of our actions: pollution, sewage treatment, the poor getting poorer, bad habits like smoking & over eating, risky behaviour, spending now rather than saving for later, proliferating genetic disadvantage, etc.
We are no longer punished by not being prudent.
and so on.

Homo sapiens has come a long way from the worm it once was, through intermediary stages, to the erect primate and finally to what we are now. In the process, our brains and nervous systems have developed layer upon layer, for evolution cannot discard progress made in the past. Every new form of adaptation must come from a living ancestor and produce a viable successor. Failure in between is not on evolution's agenda.

At one stage, this organism became aware; aware of its existence; aware of time and place; able to look from the outside in. This does not mean that we are the only creatures able to do so. The others simply can't tell us or their mates. Intelligence is a fickle quality. Orang-utans are not very much less intelligent than we are. Many intelligent people behave unintelligently by smoking or driving themselves to death. Many people believe in pure nonsense, yet somehow intelligence is related to knowledge, to the way we act, and knowledge is accumulating at an ever faster pace. Why?

"Bees, ants and termites, though not very smart individually, display much intelligence collectively - while people are just the opposite." - Amory B Lovins
"There is only one thing that can be said for certain about public opinion - it is wrong" Plato

Look at knowledge as in itself being a living organism. For knowledge to exist, it needs memory, like our body's shape and functioning having been laid down in the record (memory) of DNA. Insects have memorised their behaviour in their instinct, which is part of their DNA or a similar large molecule. They adapt to a changing world (learn) by having a short life span, and reproducing profusely. Long-lived creatures are not able to do so. Next to instinct, they have developed memory. Humans ended up with very little instinct, relying instead mainly on their memory and learnt behaviour.
But memory alone is not enough, for if knowledge were not able to reproduce, it would have to die with each human's death. Knowledge would not be able to grow beyond each person's own experience. The breakthroughs where knowledge became science, came with a number of systems humans developed over an evolutionary very short time, to give knowledge the attributes of a living organism: growth, reproduction, retention (record, memory) and evolution, allowing it to grow exponentially to today's rate where scientific knowledge doubles every 10 years. Below follows a chronology of the major accelerators of knowledge:

language: (40,000BC) it made knowledge transfer possible from one person to the next. In one session, knowledge could now reproduce rapidly from one speaker to many listeners. Knowledge started to reproduce. [Note that imitation has been left out of this list, because it happened many millions of years ago]
institutions: (12,000BC) by freeing up some people from working for daily needs, they could devote more time to the collection and dissemination of knowledge. Religion originally took this place (40,000BC?), since the written word had not been invented. This gave those people with religion so much more advantage over those without, that religion and spirituality have become part of our genes, surviving in times when they are no longer needed for survival. Also guilds helped to retain their specialised knowledge. Although not written up, it was retained by the many who practised and improved it, and passed down to apprentices.
agriculture: (6500BC) agriculture, the ploughing and irrigation of the land, gave humans a reliable food source of such quantity that peasants could support a bureaucracy and armies. The more productive its agriculture, the more powerful and dense civilisations became, and the more land they could conquer, which in turn gave them more agriculture. A wave of conquest swept the world, but with it, a knowledge class of people thrived. It is not sure whether writing or agriculture came first, and it may well be that the one spirited the other.
writing: (3000BC) the written word extended knowledge's retention considerably. No longer was it limited by the amount anyone could remember. The written word could now outlive humans by a considerable factor and travel across continents with ease. It could also be reproduced faithfully without bias. This was a very important turning point, determining the sizes of civilisations.
printing: (1450AD, but much earlier in China) the invention of book printing multiplied the knowledge base many thousands of times, by enabling it to reach a vast number of readers. It vastly augmented knowledge's ability to reproduce. It tapped an endless resource of people wanting to learn outside schools. Science developed, independent from religion, breaking new ground where others didn't dare to think.
public schools: (schools 3000BC, universities 1150-1810AD, public schools 1820AD) with books at hand, vast numbers of teachers could be trained, to educate the masses of children born each year. Knowledge dissemination and reproduction became large in scale.
communication (radio/TV): (radio 1920, TV 1950) public broadcasting made the world smaller, and educated the general public.
computers: (1980..) having had the technological benefits of mechanical slaves, the computer opened the door to a brain slave for everyone. It enabled us to write faster, to extend mental arithmetic a million fold, to do accounts, do science, make music, draw, paint and much more.
internet: (1995..) the Internet accelerated thinking in four unique ways:

communication: people are now able to communicate with like-minded ones, instantaneously all over the world, leading to cross-fertilisation, an explosion of ideas and competition in their delivery. It appears as if the world has shrunk into a single room where one can meet and exchange ideas instantaneously. It is a big change from Rome's couriers and surface mail.
access to information: whereas the existing communication channels developed from the telegraph via radio to television, they were never adequate for education, because education is something personal and needs to be delivered when and where needed. The Internet does that by providing everyone access to an ever increasing treasury of knowledge, thereby vastly multiplying knowledge's capacity to grow, multiply and retain.
information storage: accessible information is stored in millions of interconnected computers.
personal publishing: another breakthrough of the Internet is that it empowers anyone to write and to publish his ideas in the form of text, images and sound. It has produced a wealth of new information and ideas, not previously accessible.

It is obvious that the power of knowledge has multiplied very rapidly in the past few years, but so have our environmental problems. The question now is, whether our knowledge tool will be able to outrun our problems and will be able to keep doing so forever. It may well be that a new class of problems will manifest, outside the scope of knowledge, and that a new way of thinking will be needed.

Technology has often been blamed for the predicament we are in, and it is true that it has empowered us to extend ourselves beyond the naturally stabilising boundaries of nature. We need to understand technology both from its guilt and promise. Will technology ever be powerful enough to solve our problems?

Without people, the world would not have problems. Nature would rule. Natural disasters would occur and nature would adjust, and slowly progress to a better world for all. When all is said and done, humans need to be singled out as the only cause of their problems. What makes us do it? How do humans work?

The Seafriends web site aims to analyse all these components, in order to refine our thinking. It is not a trivial exercise, since the nature of our environmental problems is that we have more of them, they arrive more frequently, are more intensive and more complicated - all independent factors that multiply. In this chapter you will encounter some critical thoughts, that have not appeared elsewhere.

What is science?

(L: scientia= knowledge)
We've talked about knowledge in general, and the way humans invented external systems to give it the properties of living organisms: to grow, to reproduce, to be retained, yet to evolve. But every kind of knowledge is propagated using the same mechanisms of propagation, including superstition, and religion, reason why they are still so popular today, in this age of reason. Is it possible to better understand our brain? Here are my thoughts. Humans have basically these kinds of 'thought':

autonomous system: (Gk: auto=self; nomos= law) our most primitive neural wiring controls the most basic functions of our body, circulation of fluids, breathing, digestion and more. It works on interacting nerve systems and chemical messengers (e.g. hormones). Although autonomous (working by itself), it reacts to changing circumstances (it 'thinks'). Usually, one is not aware of it. With great difficulty, the mind can be trained to influence some of these autonomous processes. This part of our nervous system is not going to change over thousands of years, but will evolve more slowly. It is not affected by our external knowledge systems, but can be affected by emotions.
emotion: (L: ex=out of; movere= to move) emotion is instinctive thinking. It uses ancient nerve pathways not unlike those of the autonomous system, but such that external events result in the basic feelings of pleasure or pain. Emotional thinking is neither right nor wrong, but it is not rational. It is fast, and has served us well to survive, flee, avoid conflict, bond with a partner, and so on. Thinking by 'gut feelings' is insensitive to knowledge systems, but linked to real-life experiences, and does not grow and multiply, nor evolve. Think about it as hard-wired thinking by experience.
skill: part of our brain lays automatic connections between our senses and our muscles (muscle memory). One can drive a car for miles 'on auto-pilot', not being aware. A pianist can read musical scores, and play the piano. A composer can read a score and hear its instruments. A painter can draw the shapes he visualises and colour them accordingly. Such skills are not transferable. No matter how well one plays piano, it does not help in playing guitar. No matter how well one paints, it does not enable one to read musical scores. Skill is achieved by endless repetition, and is not sensitive to knowledge systems and does not grow and multiply, nor evolve.
imitation: (L: imago= image; imitare= to copy) to follow the example of; to copy the actions or behaviour. By simple imitation, we can learn the actions of others. Skill is best learnt by imitation. Its learning cannot be accelerated.
superstition: (L: super=above; stare= to stand) fears are explained by simple forces: spirits, gods, etc. Spirituality has evolved as a survival strategy for humans working in groups, and is by many felt as a basic need, but it is not rational. Related to emotional thinking, this knowledge has remained static, not evolving at all, or very slowly. People still believe in knowledge which is 2000-6000 years old or older still.
politics: (Gk: polis=city; politikos= judicious/ expedient) the strategies to gain friends, approval, support, power, wealth, food, to wage war, staying alive, etc. Even chimpanzees practise the whole gamut of human politics. One does not need to be intelligent in order to practise clever politics. This very basic knowledge associated with group behaviour, has not changed for hundreds of thousands of years, but since it is a learnt behaviour, it can be perfected, but also forgotten.
philosophy: (Gk: philo= affinity/ liking/ love/ fondness; sophos=wise). The use of reason and logic in seeking truth. Phenomena are explained by logic reasoning, but not tested against reality. Philosophy has always thrived where innovative thinking was required to extend the boundaries of thought. Originally locked in by religious thought, it is now evolving with the pace of scientific knowledge. Since philosophy misses the honesty of the scientific method, it is not developing into a systematic way of thinking, where one philosophy can build on the unassailable truths of a preceding philosophy. Nearly all philosophical works of the past are no longer relevant today.
science: phenomena are explained by thorough experimentation and logic reasoning and by knowledge attained this way. Science is continually growing, multiplying and evolving. It benefits best from the external systems created for its success. It builds systematically on previous findings. Science can be taught in an accelerated way.

Emotional thinking is the most ancient form of thinking inside us. It is instinctive (but not fixed), thus hard-wired (but adaptive) and is therefore insensitive to the knowledge-enhancing systems we have invented. It will be with us for the rest of evolution. Based in ancient layers of neurones, emotions like anxiety, happiness, sadness, elation are associated with outside phenomena that present themselves to us. Emotional thinking is fast and can be irrational, although it is usually self-preserving (One burns oneself on a stove only once).

Superstition is an ancient mix of emotional thinking and reasoning, mainly induced by fear, which makes it very persuasive. Knowing something for sure, and feeling good about it, is very satisfying. When combined with ritual, masses of followers imitating one another, it can be very persuasive, suppressing reasoned thinking in most individuals. Superstition and quackery have been riding the same wave as science, that of better means of dissemination, denser populations, and now the Internet. They have also been evolving as new opportunities occurred.

Politics is our most ancient way of reasoning, although not entirely devoid of emotions. It prescribes group behaviour and survival techniques, often without morals. It is basically about surviving within a group but having one's own way as well, and involves allegiance, deceit, dishonesty, back handers, favours and hidden agendas. In this age of reasoning, it is about taking the best science and, based on society's shared values, making decisions, which are often controversial, resulting in winners and losers. Personal position often stands in the way of finding the best solutions for all.

Science is about presenting, challenging and refining hypotheses over long periods of time to better understand how things work. The goal of producing scientific theories and models is not to describe nature in all its detail, but to understand the law-like mechanisms that maintain the order that underlies the variety. In order to progress, science must be deadly honest. Science ascribes no values to its findings. Things are just the way they are. Scientific discoveries can be used by society to create prosperity or to wreak havoc.

Philosophy is practised to extend knowledge beyond the boundaries of certainty, to challenge the mind into thinking outside the frame, even though it cannot (yet) be tested against reality. Many scientists and politicians practise philosophy in their own fields of knowledge. Over the years, many philosophers have been engaged in unproductive thought, attempting to fit reality into a belief system, rather than the other way around. Unfortunately, philosophy is also used to justify harmful actions (like the killing of people, that the rich must get richer, that wars must be fought, etc.).

Note that rational thinking can be affected by money, wealth or influence. Every person is bribable - just name the amount. One does not criticise the things one dearly paid for. One does not see the faults in celebrities. One does not criticise a celebrated cause. One does not take issue with the majority viewpoint. One doesn't bite the hand that feeds. Mothers fail to see fault with their children. Lawyers don't take issue with the legal system. Humans don't seek faults within themselves. And so on.

We'll conclude this subchapter by discussing a few commonly mentioned concepts in thinking, which help to explain issues, assist memorising, and sharpen the mind. By looking at an issue from new viewpoints, one can arrive at new thinking and see solutions which were previously hidden from view. It is called thinking laterally (L: latus=side; lateris=of/from the side; sideways):

caricature (L: caricare= to exaggerate) a grotesque (usually comic) representation of a person by exaggeration of characteristic traits, in a picture, writing or mime. A caricature strips an issue to its bare minimum, while retaining and exaggerating its characteristic traits. It helps one to think clearly and to compare it with similar cases. It also helps remembering it. This article contains many caricatures.
synonym (Gk: syn=with/together/alike; onoma=name) a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another, in the same language. A word denoting the same thing as another but suitable to a different context. Using synonyms when explaining knowledge, helps to better understand the issue.
contrast (L: contra=against; stare=to stand; contrastare= to juxtapose, oppose) juxtaposition or comparison showing striking differences. Like synonyms, contrasts allow one to look at an issue from an entirely different angle or perspective. By saying what it is not, one can often better understand what it is.
generality (L: genus= birth/race/stock; generalis= related to its class/origin) a statement or principle having general validity or force. Applicability to a whole class of circumstances. It pays to think about a problem in terms of its principle or laws, and how it relates to similar problems.
analogy (L: analogos= proportional; Gk: ana=up/again; logos= word/reason) a process of arguing from similarity in known respects to similarity in other respects. Analogies are very powerful to guide one's thinking. Knowing that driving a car fast, causes disproportionately more friction, can lead one to understand or to expect similar aggravated friction when attempting to rapidly change society. Cars and society do not resemble one another, yet they may follow similar principles. Analogies can help tremendously in explaining issues, but they can also be abused when incorrect.
metaphor (Gk: metaphere= to transfer; meta=beyond; phero=to convey/carry) the application of a name or descriptive phrase to an object or action to which it is imaginatively but not literally applicable. Metaphors help to explain, by pulling thought away from the issue, towards imagination. It is easy and tempting to use the wrong metaphors, which is a technique used in brainwashing and propaganda. Metaphors are extremely powerful in affecting our thinking, also in science where they are eagerly sought after.
allegory: (Gk: allos=other; agoria= speaking) a story, play, poem, picture in which the meaning of a message is represented symbolically. The Bible is full of allegories. Whether they actually happened, does not matter. Whether they convey the message, does. Allegories are very powerful analogies to get a message across, especially to people who can't think logically.
parable (L: para=beside/beyond; bolus=haul/throw/cast; parabola=comparison) a narrative of imagined events used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. An allegory.
paradox (L: para=against; doxa=opinion) contrary to opinion; counter-intuitive, contradiction. Contrary to common belief or wisdom. The paradoxes in science, where one theory seemingly contradicts another, are the most fascinating areas of thought. The second law of thermodynamics insists that order degrades to chaos, yet life appears to be able to create order out of chaos, in seeming contradiction.
paradigm (Gk: para= beside/beyond; deiknumi= to show; show side by side) an example or pattern. The word paradigm means not just example, but an entirely new way of thinking; a mind-set. It transcends (surpasses) analogy. In the beginning of this subchapter, the systems humans invented to promote knowledge, were likened to the creation of a living organism, enabling it (science) to grow, reproduce, retain its information and evolve. This is a new paradigm. It suddenly sheds new light on science's history, as well as enabling us to better understand related phenomena. It opens up our thinking, allowing us to find new analogies based on the new paradigm. A businessman, reading this, may see an analogy between his business and science in the light of the new paradigm, and this may lead him to improve not only growth, but also reproduction, retention of information and evolution in his company. A new paradigm may cast new insight across several scientific disciplines, and is therefore very powerful and much sought after.
convergence (L: com=together; vergere= to incline) the coming together. As scientists work on related problems in different parts of the world, they are nonetheless synchronised by what is technically possible and by what has been discovered before. It appears as if they work in parallel and that the same idea has to be born at the same time because its time has come. Knowledge converges when the last bits of the puzzle are found and the whole is pieced together.
emergence (L: ex= out of; mergere= to dip) come up or out into view, especially when concealed before. To transpire. Emergence is used when a whole new way of thinking, a whole new discipline is born from the findings of another. Electronic circuits led to binary logic, to computers, to programs, to applications, to artificial intelligence, to virtual reality. At each level, a new discipline emerged, apparently unrelated to its origin. From the bits in a computer, its program cannot be derived. From a program, its function cannot be proven. Yet at each level, meaningful scientific progress can be made.

Vertical thinking is like digging the same hole deeper. Lateral thinking is like trying again elsewhere. - Edward de Bono.
Do we need to pave the world with leather to make it smooth and pleasant to walk on? No, we can pave our feet with leather to the same effect. - Buddhist wisdom.

Start using these tools for thinking today.

go to part2 <=> go to part3 <=> go to part4
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