Blog #14

The excerpt, “Scientific Discipline,” from Dr. Pennock’s book further illustrates the connections between science and philosophical thought. In this section, Dr. Pennock notes of the ways that science is a field where one must have a vocation, or a “calling” for it.  I fully agree to this statement, but I do not believe that this quality is unique to the sciences, but in fact is a characteristic of all fields. Furthermore, the chapter draws on the words of Max Weber, who stated that science requires an immense passion for science; this mindset will further narrow down one’s focus within the field and contribute towards the immense specialization of the scientific domain as a whole. He further delves into this concept by stating that only by putting on blinders towards other specialties and focusing on one vocation will one achieve a state of total consciousness. I do not agree with this statement as science is a field that requires a foundation of fluidity in order to function properly. As highlighted within the pages of Dr. Barbara McClintock’s biography, her isolation from the idea of a community and her immense focus on her specialty, ultimately hindered her progression: as an individual and as a scientist. Although she did in fact grew to flourish within her vocation, she encountered immense difficulties communicating to other geneticists and related fields, which not only hurt her, but was an obstacle for the community as a whole, trying to understand McClintock’s language of science.

Furthermore, within this chapter, Dr. Pennock further dives into the concept of scientific virtues, specifically that of curiosity. He draws examples from Charles Darwin, and from this particular passage what really stood out to me, as the reader was that Darwin attributed his success to that of his experiences and the habits he formulated as a result. This is a significant point to illustrate as Darwin himself highlights that his virtues were gained over his lifetime, and were not things that were necessarily inherent. Later on in passage, Dr. Pennock does in fact note that some virtues can be traced back to certain instincts; in accordance to this idea, are such instincts more primitive (in reference to Aristotle’s idea that man is a rational animal?) and what are examples of such instinctive traits?