Science vs Telling Nature What To Do

I wrote this in my journal after the Oak Ridge tour, but blogging it wasn't too important and I didn't get around to it. Pictures of random Peanuts figurines from the Oak Ridge library, cuz I had no other post to include them.

12/11/2015

Science is understanding how things work. Philosophy is asking what ought one do, in order to achieve something. Psychology answers why people do the things they do.

Science is going to nature with a question, and an idea, a guess, and an open mind willing to receive whatever answer nature provides, with the intention to follow the path that nature follows, but not a demand, not an expectation that nature ought to behave in a way that you arbitrate, that would suit your agenda. Applied science is about understanding: what does nature do? then with that knowledge, think how can I use this understanding to live my life in better ways.

But the way these government agencies approach applied science, it's like telling Nature what you want from it, and choosing to believe those investigators who claim, yeah we can make nature our bitch, because we've harnessed the magical powers of science, now we can force Nature to do our bidding.

Sally writes a letter to Santa, saying if he can't get around to delivering all the presents on her list,
she'll make it easier for him by accepting money instead

Science is looking at a bird, and marveling how is a bird able to fly, then studying the principles and trying different things to figure out what Nature does that gives a bird the gift of flight. Then once the phenomenon of flight is understood, ask, how can I use this knowledge to gain the benefits a bird has?

Telling Nature What to Do is looking at a 10-hour drive, thinking fuck this I need to get there in one hour, then looking at a bird and saying that bird can fucking fly, why does the bird get to fly and I don't? Science create me the ability to do what the bird does.

That's not understanding how things work in order to understand Nature and live according to it. That's wanting to live the way you feel like, and expecting Nature to become your slave when you wield the sorcery of Science.

You're supposed to just look at the bird, see that it flies, and wonder how? You're not supposed to look at a bird with envy, and then think: I am supposed to have flight! I will use Science to get it!