Blog #1

            This particular piece was something that I initially struggled to comprehend. As the first chapter of the book, I was left with the big “why;” why is this particular message about searching for “truth” significant to science and what does the author strive to instill in his readers? I truly appreciated the discussion of science and philosophy, and how ingrained these two domains truly are; I personally never recognized that a person awarded a Ph.D. in the sciences is in fact recognized in the field of philosophy as well. This interconnectedness of the two fields is something that I believe is vital towards the understanding of science as a whole. As a student pursuing the pre-medical track, I have been immersed in science courses that have awarded empirical thought processes–however, the true learning I have experienced is beyond merely the information printed on a page. True understanding of the sciences involves questioning ideas from a multifaceted perspective, which borders on the foundation of philosophy. As a science major, I have personally experienced this growth by being encouraged to approach topics such as healthcare and ethics in a different fashion than the one I am accustomed to. In this way, I have grown to learn from this chapter that even though science is presented as a set of facts and answers, philosophical thought is required in the process of reaching an answer.

            In this article, it was difficult for me to draw the line connecting the relationship between science and philosophy to the idea of Darwin’s theory of evolution. From my understanding of it, Darwin’s search for truth is a philosophical quest embedded in the field of science. His notable success as a scientist was recognizing the fact that curiosity in the sciences is inherent, but it is thinking beyond this spectrum that allows one to be successful in their journey for a notable discovery. There was a particular line in this passage that resonated something in me, and it was when the author describes science as being inductive, meaning that even a known conclusion could be incorrect; this mentality leaves me hopeful as it reinforces the idea that nothing is proven, only supported. In turn, this attitude is what I believe contributes towards scientific success as it always invites new questions and new ventures. This chapter invites a unique perspective on approaching the quest towards “truth” that involves looking at science via a different set of lens that stretches beyond what is purely presented in black and white.