Re: Why is science important?

Hi Ali.

Your question is very general.  What do you mean by "important"?  In other 
words, important in relation to what?

I am not going to tell you if science is important or not.  But I will tell 
you what science is so that you can draw any conclusions that you want.

According to one definition, "science" is more than "classified 
knowledge"...it is a method of acquiring knowledge.  Science wants to 
explain things but it is not the only way to explain things.  For instance, 
astrology, mythology, and religion also try to explain and make sense of 
things.  This is human nature...we are curious about things and need to 
know how and why.  

Science is different from these other ways of knowing about the world.  It 
has four fundamental principles: determinism, empiricism, parsimony, and 
testability.  Let me explain.  Scientists believe that all events have 
systematic causes because the universe is orderly (determinism).  
They believe that the best way to figure out these causes is by making 
observations (empiricism).  They also like the more parsimonious (simpler) 
of two possible explanations for an event.  Lastly, and most importantly, 
they want their theories (explanations) to be testable so that their 
explanations can be proved, disproved, or modified.  

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Dan Berger adds: see my answer to 
"What's the most important concept in science?"
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As an individual, you may have your own explanations for a certain 
phenomenon.  You may depend on your intuitions, logic, observations, or on 
the opinion of an authority figure.  For instance, you decided to send your 
question to MadSci so you are depending on my expertise.  In order of 
importance, a scientist depends on observations, logic, intuition, and 
lastly, authority.  Religion depends on authority, intuition, logic, and 
lastly, observation.

I am not saying that science is better than religion or vice versa.  One 
way of knowing is not superior to the other across all situations.  
Religion has its own unique place.  There are things that science has not 
answered and can never fully answer but religion can.  There are things 
that religion has not attempted to answer but science has.  What I am 
trying to say is that science and religion (or other ways of knowing about 
the world) overlap in some parts but do not overlap in many other parts.  
When you go to a doctor with a sore throat, you are asking "science" for 
help.  When someone close to you is suffering from an illness with no cure, 
you may start looking up at the skies.

At present, science is an invaluable tool in our hands.  It improves our 
health (vaccination), makes life easier (cars), entertains us (TV), etc.  
"Science" is a single abstract word but it is all around us.

I hope this helps.

Arash E.