Jane Jacobs (2004) explains that science is admired in North America, and it can be explained by the fact that science has revealed significant information about the planet and its inhabitants. Although some people may oppose science based on their ideological views and accuse it of removing the enchantment from existence, science is fascinated with every detail of the world. Science can uncover dangerous knowledge that leads to destruction and violence, but it also can guide people in finding and fixing existing problems. Thus, science remains at the center of influence for the culture of North America as well as South and East Asia.
Science is a state of mind that is guided by the desire to discover truths about reality. It is different from other pursuits such as spying and guessing because it has specific limitations and rules with which these restrictions are applied. There are four stages in which any scientific problem is considered, and they are repeated indefinitely since the unraveling of one problem creates others. The first one is the posing of a “fruitful” question – an inquiry that considers all previously uncovered knowledge but introduces a new mystery. The second step is the framing of a hypothetical answer that often requires a scientist to employ creativity, imagination, insight, and courage. During the third stage, this hypothesis is tested, either by nature itself or in a laboratory setting, and its results reveal whether the proposed answer was correct or not. While the real world eventually tests all hypotheses, the information does not always become apparent to people quickly since they may deny or ignore the truth. Finally, the results of this discovery invite new questions to be asked, thus closing the circle of scientific research and making the process continuous and self-renewing.
Reference
Jacobs, J. (2004). Dark age ahead. New York, NY: Random House.