Poll: Has Science Been Beneficial or Detrimental to Humanity?

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

Only two things are infinite - space and stupidity.  They recently sent into orbit a telescope to try and disprove the former.  No-one has ever argued with the latter.  Ignorance is unbounded.  People are ignorant of things that we could not even imagine. 

Do you forget that without doing things like sending things into orbit a lot of people would lose their income, and might have to work in the real world for a pittance like ( IMO ) most do? Having discovered most of the easily ascertained facts IMO they are now trying to invent new ways to get those luvverly big grants.

I saw several garbage science projects in Antarctica myself, none of which have benefited humanity in the subsequent decades.

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You think humans couldn't invent stuff without a "scientist" being involved? Most of humanity existed before "science" even became a word.

In all fairness, we had science long before we had the word, I think science is great, but I wonder how many of the people that think it's the be-all, end-all actually took (much less passed) second semester chemistry. 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, TKDfella said:

I am not a proponent of Multiverse conjectures, at least in their present form because like the many Inflation ideas of the universe, one can always find one that fits with one idea or another... √-1 being as real as me is a bit uncomfortable ????. In addition, they cannot be tested (at present) which is a problem. However, the passage you quote seems, to me, to fit the Many Worlds conjecture which realises all out comes in the probabilities of quantum mechanics which is only a level or two up from all probabilities describing different timelines.

Having said that, it is good that there are many ideas and people are allowed to present them...all interesting stuff. But whether they are beneficial or detrimental to humans...????

If they come up with the scientific possibility that "God" does exist, after all, a few of us will be laughing like drains.

After all, in a multiverse with infinite possibilities "God" is not such a stretch to accept, IMO.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 12/27/2021 at 5:55 PM, Stocky said:

But science isn't democratic, 'opinions' don't carry equal weight. Someone might hold the Earth is flat, but that is a proposition the weight of scientific data has clearly demonstrates as incorrect. So to accord it equal weight is wrong.

 

Most of the people arguing online have no understanding of how the scientific process works. They point to earlier position science has held to suggest inconsistency, but as with the Earth being considered flat, or the Sun revolving around the Earth, they are positions later scientific data has disproved, so science moves on. Science isn't fixed, positions change as our ability to gather relevant data improves.

In the post you quoted I wasn't referring to "science", but his opinion.

 

Soooooo science isn't fixed? Perhaps someone should remind the politicians that have jumped on various bandwagons of that fact.

[thaibeachlovers]

8 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

In all fairness, we had science long before we had the word, I think science is great, but I wonder how many of the people that think it's the be-all, end-all actually took (much less passed) second semester chemistry. 

 

 

I disagree. We have been around for 50,000 years or so, most of that entirely without the presence of "science". One doesn't need any knowledge of science or physics etc to invent a crossbow, a longbow, armour, the wheel, chimneys etc etc etc.

[Hummin]

22 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You think humans couldn't invent stuff without a "scientist" being involved? Most of humanity existed before "science" even became a word.

What would humans been without the wheel? The making of wheel did not happens over night, and involves alot of inventions based on science. 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I disagree. We have been around for 50,000 years or so, most of that entirely without the presence of "science". One doesn't need any knowledge of science or physics etc to invent a crossbow, a longbow, armour, the wheel, chimneys etc etc etc.

We had been around a long time before we had a word for oxygen, did we not have oxygen? 

 

That the word science has not existed for more than a few hundred years, does not mean we did not have "scientists", we just called them something else. 

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, sezze said:

I really can't understand antivaxxers

IMO you don't.

[Hummin]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I disagree. We have been around for 50,000 years or so, most of that entirely without the presence of "science". One doesn't need any knowledge of science or physics etc to invent a crossbow, a longbow, armour, the wheel, chimneys etc etc etc.

Everything is science when you continue to find solutions, improve, make better, find new and better material to build better, stronger, long lasting etc. 

 

Even to make fire is science, and you need to study, find the right material and tools to make fire, improve how to make fire. 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

Everything is science when you continue to find solutions, improve, make better, find new and better material to build better, stronger, long lasting etc. 

 

Even to make fire is science, and you need to study, find the right material and tools to make fire, improve how to make fire. 

While I agree, you can't really say everything it science without saying everyone is a scientist. 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

Everything is science when you continue to find solutions, improve, make better, find new and better material to build better, stronger, long lasting etc. 

 

Even to make fire is science, and you need to study, find the right material and tools to make fire, improve how to make fire. 

LOL. I'm pretty sure most use the word science to describe the scientific process, rather than Og the caveman discovering that fire made him warmer and frightened wild animals, or that Ug the cavewoman discovered that a tree trunk could be used as a roller, and subsequently a wheel.

 

[Hummin]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

While I agree, you can't really say everything it science without saying everyone is a scientist. 

Well, inventions needs science right? Air it self is not science, but finding o2, and use it in welding is science right? 

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. I'm pretty sure most use the word science to describe the scientific process, rather than Og the caveman discovering that fire made him warmer and frightened wild animals, or that Ug the cavewoman discovered that a tree trunk could be used as a roller, and subsequently a wheel.

 

I would like to see you make fire and make a wheel without knowing the science behind it. Good luck 

[TKDfella]

26 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If they come up with the scientific possibility that "God" does exist, after all, a few of us will be laughing like drains.

After all, in a multiverse with infinite possibilities "God" is not such a stretch to accept, IMO.

Wonder why any deity would want to create a multiverse...wonder if the creation still continues, Ha ????

[seedy]

sci·ence

1. the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

    

   By this definition ancient man, in studying the movements of animals, were engaged in science.

    

    

[Hummin]

Thoroughly conscious ignorance is the prelude to every real advance in science!

 

quite interesting talk for those who have time and also interest. And some more of the same in the feed coming up based on this one. 

 

 

[andersonat]

Carl Sagan:  "We live in a Society exquisitely dependent on Science and Technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about Science and Technology".

[thaibeachlovers]

46 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I would like to see you make fire and make a wheel without knowing the science behind it. Good luck 

I have done so.

[thaibeachlovers]

17 minutes ago, andersonat said:

Carl Sagan:  "We live in a Society exquisitely dependent on Science and Technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about Science and Technology".

I have zero idea as to how I can type this on a machine here and it can be read all over the world in a matter of mere seconds. However, the OP is about whether it is beneficial or detrimental to do so, and I might well be better occupied doing something else. IMO science has enabled something so addictive I have spent thousands of hours typing things that will be forgotten by the next day, and of no ascertainable benefit to myself. I'll leave the reader to decide if that is beneficial or detrimental.

[thaibeachlovers]

29 minutes ago, seedy said:

sci·ence

1. the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

    

   By this definition ancient man, in studying the movements of animals, were engaged in science.

    

    

That goes back to whether we are ALL scientists, or not.

[thaibeachlovers]

55 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Well, inventions needs science right? Air it self is not science, but finding o2, and use it in welding is science right? 

That's engineering, IMO, not science. Discovering that O2 exists in air would be science.

[Hummin]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I have done so.

From early humans started to use fire and control fire, to they could start fire, took about 1,5 million years, but the facts around when we got from control fire to start fire is quite open. However, the first wheel appears around 6000 years ago in Iraq. 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

We had been around a long time before we had a word for oxygen, did we not have oxygen? 

 

That the word science has not existed for more than a few hundred years, does not mean we did not have "scientists", we just called them something else. 

Indeed, they were called clever.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

From early humans started to use fire and control fire, to they could start fire, took about 1,5 million years, but the facts around when we got from control fire to start fire is quite open. However, the first wheel appears around 6000 years ago in Iraq. 

 

 

Are you sure about that?

Google "how long have humans been on earth" and it comes up with "Approximately 300,000 years ago, the first Homo sapiens — anatomically modern humans — arose alongside our other hominid relatives."

I thought it was only 50,000 years, but apparently I wuz wrong.

[Yellowtail]

52 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Well, inventions needs science right? Air it self is not science, but finding o2, and use it in welding is science right? 

Because you have defined science as everything, than everything that is anything needs it. yes? And again, because you have defined everything as science, it follows that everyone is a scientist, yes? 

 

You have defined science as everything, now you're claiming air is not science, how is that? 

 

And no, you don't need to find oxygen to weld.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

In all fairness, we had science long before we had the word, I think science is great, but I wonder how many of the people that think it's the be-all, end-all actually took (much less passed) second semester chemistry. 

 

 

IMO since most people apparently don't believe in God anymore, they have elevated science to that position in their life.

Seems apt, as believing something they don't know much about can answer their prayers fits with science worship.

[Skeptic7]

22 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

Not trying to be smart

No chance of that ????

[Hummin]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Are you sure about that?

Google "how long have humans been on earth" and it comes up with "Approximately 300,000 years ago, the first Homo sapiens — anatomically modern humans — arose alongside our other hominid relatives."

I thought it was only 50,000 years, but apparently I wuz wrong.

Read early humans, we are homo sapiens

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Because you have defined science as everything, than everything that is anything needs it. yes? And again, because you have defined everything as science, it follows that everyone is a scientist, yes? 

 

You have defined science as everything, now you're claiming air is not science, how is that? 

 

And no, you don't need to find oxygen to weld.

I didn't say that air is not science as indeed it is just air. Discovering the components of air would be science. Extraction of O2 from air is manufacturing/ engineering.

As a qualified welder I'd like to see you weld steel with acetylene alone, however, yes, electric arc welding, is done without O2.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

Read early humans, we are homo sapiens

?