Botan Times EnglishThe Truth of Science

The Second World War had a big effect on the world in many ways. The big cities collapsed due to bombs, more than millions of people were killed, and many other things… The beginning and the process of the war was painful and hard. But the event that happened in 1945 left its black mark on history with its greatness and horror, putting away the whole process of war. On 6 and 8 August 1945, America attacked Nagasaki and Hiroshima with two atomic bombs. One thousand people were killed in these two cities and this event ended the Second World War.

This attack by America was no ordinary attack. It opened a new page with its power and magnitude. But it wasn’t a clear page. The atomic bomb became an important symbol of the power of science and technology and spread great fear to the world: Large cities and millions of people can be destroyed in a few minutes with the power of science! Science has emerged with a new side as the atomic bomb. People understood that only science can create these floods and apocalypses mentioned in holy books. Science invents new machines to make people’s lives easier, but science can destroy all life with its power. I wonder what kind of power Francis Bacon was referring to when he said “science is power”? After the destructive power of science has shown its face to people, new questions about science come to people’s minds:” Isn’t science for the happiness of people?

Does science really make an effort really for human happiness? Does science bring us happiness with its works, or does it slowly lead us to extinction? Whenever science improves, we come across with new productions then these two questions come to mind. Especially in the 20th century, there have been important studies on science, and there have been great developments in science. We can say that the scientific productions of the 20th century have surpassed those of a hundred years ago in the history of humanity. From health to education, from communication to many areas of life, technology has become a part of our lives and its scope is expanding day by day. Science affects us mentally with these productions and developments and our belief in science has increased gradually. We accept science as an important criteria for the truth and falsehood of something. In order to accept the truth of information, we say:” Is this information scientific?” If that information is scientific, we easily accept its truth without question. We should ask this here: Where does this belief and acceptance of science come from? Are scientific things really true things?

The 20th century philosopher Paul Karl Feyerabend (1924-1994) dwelt on these questions and made very important enquiries about the power and truth of Western Science (Positivist Science). With these questions, Feyerabend wants us to look at Western Science from a different perspective and think about it. Among Feyerabend’s ideas, we see great criticisms of positivist science, and we can say that with Feyerabend, Western Science has been criticised by a Western philosopher for the first time.

Feyerabend didn’t accept the truth of positivist science at the beginning. According to Feyerabend, the truth of positivists carry on their work depends on a method and accept this method as a criterion for truth. This scientific method was established in the 19th century by the philosophers of around Vienna and was recognised as the main method in the works of positivist science. Feyerabend sees the scientific method as a big obstacle to the development of science and human history. Because pozitivist science determines truth and falsehood according to only one method, and accepts the works done according to another method as non-science. According to Feyerabend, this method and the use of only one method is not appropriate to the nature of science. How can a field like science, which is based on development and innovation, limit itself to a single method? According to Feyerabend, this method both prevents the development of science and doesn’t allow the works and other methods to step forward and state themselves. For this reason Feyerabend called the method of truth of the positivist as an antidemocratic method. And this method with its monologism sets a free society back and does not allow the different work to be heard. According to Feyerabend, in a free society, every work, every culture, every method can express itself, and science should not be held to a single method. These views of Feyerabend, based on the rejection of the positivist method, have taken place in philosophy under the name of “Epistemological Anarchism” and paved the way for new debates.

Feyerabend gives the Chinese medicine example on this topic. According to Feyerabend, Chinese medicine is based on Chinese culture and tradition and offers very good treatments for diseases. But this treatment is despised by Western science and accused of dishonesty and quackery because it is not according to the truth of positivism. According to Feyerabend, the treatment given in China has another special feature. Compared to Western scientific treatments, this treatment gives more respect and reverence to the human and the human body. In the treatment of diseases, it moves with respect and reverence for the human body so as not to harm their other organs. So it emphasises more human feelings and approach. However, it has never been accepted by Western science because it does not come from European culture.

Feyerabend also focuses on the truth of science. According to Feyerabend, European science is the science that currently dominates the world. European science has accepted itself as the most accurate knowledge in the world. Is European science really spread in the world because it is the most accurate knowledge? Feyerabend does not accept the accuracy of European science and explains the spread of European science (positivist science) with another reason. According to Feyerabend, European science did not spread in the world because it was the most correct science. Since the military and economic power was in Western power, the European countries spread their science in the world and “forcibly” imposed it on the world. This acceptance has reached such a high level that when the word “science” is on something, we accept it without questioning it and say “this is good, this is true! According to Feyerabend, this growth and celebration of positivist science is similar to the power of the Church in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church forced people to accept itself as a great and holy power, and those who did not accept the church’s views were excommunicated and even burned. According to Feyerabend, today’s positivist science, just like the Catholic Church, has recognized itself as a “holy” power, and those who do not believe in its truths are characterised as conservative, blimpishness people. Feyerabend’s simile contains a strong criticism against the creativity and innovativeness of science. According to Feyerabend, positivist science now acts like a dogmatic religion. Just as the words of holy books are accepted unquestioningly and indisputably by their followers, so the knowledge and works of science are accepted by scientists.

With these ideas, Feyerabend wants to show that the science that currently dominates the world isn’t a “true” science. This science doesn’t serve people’s happiness, and it puts the world in great danger. Feyerabend doesn’t accept positivist science as the only and best science and for these reasons says that we should pay attention to other sciences. Do we have time for this transformation? Can we change the world for the better with a new science? Science knows it!

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This news was translated by Betül Demir