WHAT IS SCIENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20392, 22 October 1929, Page 14

WHAT IS SCIENCE.

Sir, —When Mr. Norman Burton states that "the scientists now admit that science' can only deal with certain aspects of reality," he is claiming what he cannot substantiate. The only prominent scientists who thus presume to limit the scope of science, not only for the present, but for all time, are a few remaining neo-vitalists, or those with a theological axe to grind, the chief being Eddington, and to a lesser extent, Thomson and Whitehead. But it is noteworthy that where Eddington in his recent publications talks of "science," it is clear ho restricts the notion to physical. science—to things that can be weighed or measured. On such a narrow basis it is obvious there would be vast fields of human experience outside science, where the metaphysician and crank could gambol in freedom. But has anyone the right so to restrict the definition for the purpose of his argument? Science is neither the acquisition of knowledge nor its arrangement into groups. Nor is it a combination of these. "Science proper commences with the framing of descriptive formulae, which enable us to accurately describe what is occurring, what has occurred, and to predict what will occur in the future." This kind of knowledge is most precise in physics, because our acquaintance with the factors there are most exact. But because we- have not yet tho same exact data, say, in psychology, does not justify us in excluding that category of human experience from science. We have sufficient data to know that human thought and action follow certain partly-known "laws" like all other phenomena. Similarly with tho aesthetics, including poetry. Its internal structure follows well-known metrical laws, but its actual wording and appeal can only be explained in terms of human emotions. The emotions, through lack of scientific knowledge, are the last stronghold of topological ignorance and credulity. To talk of "extracting tho square root of a sonnet, i.e., endeavouring to explain a psychological matter in terms of physics, is an absurdity that one must marvel at as coming from a prominent scientist. _ I can construct formulae as to my reaction to certain phenomena, but it would be an equal absurdity to say such reactions are not a subject of scientific investigation because we cannot estimate their cubic content. The source of such statements is in the desire expressed by Mr. Burton for "a scientific atmosphere in which logy can freely breathe and develop." untrammelled science with no artificial barriers is fatal to theology, since _it has already begun to.explain file genesis .and evolution of religion* AtEC*