Science going Forward

The poster project on poster projects really got to me. I feel like i had a good understanding of how science works in universities like ours. I work for the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, so I have seen and worked with a lot of scientific projects over the past 3 years. Basically, it seemed like the posters that Julian and others brought in were perfect examples of something like UROP. You do research, find something out, and present it. What was great about their presentation though, was that it showed how complex and muddled some of these projects really are. There is literally a book of references, and no one in there right mind would sift through that book at a conference when there are over 100 posters about different research projects there. This is science though. At research universities like ours, this is how science gets done. Very brief presentations of findings, and everyone sort of says, "ok, good research, lets have a beer".

My point about all of this is that the scientific process has become very complex and muddled to me. Each  study has such a complex background. How is any layman such as myself supposed to figure out and actually UNDERSTAND any of this stuff? I am not sure that there is a decent answer to this question. The contemporary scientific process is kind of ridiculous. In order to get funding you have to make sure your getting results conducive with the people who funded you. Now this might not always be true, but i think we can all agree it has effected the science that we see now. There is always a correlation between one thing and another. People were paid to find that correlation.

In spite of all of what I just said, I want science to succeed. If this is the way science in the world gets done now, I feel almost helpless to call for some sort of accountability. The point is that I believe science is going to end up being the thing humanity cherishes most. And thats ok with me. Science isn't perfect. It has problems and mix-ups because the people who are doing it are human. It will never be a "perfect science". But at the same time, science in general has done and has the potential to do some REALLY GOOD THINGS in the world. I totally believe in reality, and if that reality is scientifically produced, thats ok with me. I guess what I am saying is that science, no matter all of the complex issues about funding and ethics, is going to become the dominant paradigm about how we operate in the world. We already did it in this class, looking at things that might be phenomenal, and dismissing them on the grounds of western science. However, while it is important to have a critical eye on this type of thing, science is going to go forward regardless. Don't get me wrong, the cultural influences matter, but science will still move, even though people like us are trying to figure out how.