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How reliable is the scientific method in gaining knowledge of our past?


h08ttwigger

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Well, I'd say you're looking at two ares of knowledge (natural sciences and history) and perhaps a third (human sciences, which can be explored using the scientific method). The real question is what ways of knowing you'll be using. I think this question is actually straight-forward about it.

 

Sense Perception: We were not there in the past to see, say, dinosaurs. So there is a disadvantage there for us, since we have no knowledge of their existence in person. However, our sense perception does allow us to gain evidence. We have the fossils from the dinosaurs, so we have solid evidence that you can touch even though we weren't there to see them alive. In a bigger sense, the scientific method includes observation as a key component.

 

Other WoKs that come to mind as very relevant are memory, logic/reason, and one of the others. By that last bit I mean for a counterexample, you'll need to choose a different system for gaining knowledge besides the scientific method. Perhaps the WoK faith could be used here.

 

I hope this helped clarify it for you. You should be comparing whether the scientific method is good for addressing the past, and find limitations, but then you should also consider if there are any better options anyway.

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