"But
nature gives most of her evidence in answer to the questions
we ask her. Here, as in the courts, the character of the
evidence depends on the shape of the examination, and a
good cross-examiner can do wonders. He will not indeed elicit
falsehoods from an honest witness. But, in relation to the
total truth in the witness's mind, the structure of the
examination is like a stencil. It determines how much of
that total truth will appear and what pattern it will suggest.
" - C.S. Lewis (The Discarded Image)
Like any human
endeavor, the direction of scientific research is influenced
by the perspectives of the people involved. The types of questions
asked and the culture of the field depend on the objective
that drives the research. For example, common objectives for
scientific research are technological advances, national security,
economic growth, or the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake.
In defining and developing science integration as
a field of study we're carving out an additional niche for
research guided by the aim of developing a clearer perspective
on our role as conscious creatures within the overall framework
of the universe. By necessity it as a very interdisciplinary
field that includes any area of science where the insights
uncovered have a direct impact on our perception of our place
within the universe, and also includes the study of how people
assimilate these principles to make them part of the personal
knowledge they use to interact with the world on a daily basis.
Because it's a
broad and interdisciplinary subject, it can be difficult to
find an intellectual home for people to do the work of assimilating
and integrating information from science into a form that
is useful for people seeking perspective and meaning in their
lives. As science integration continues to develop we hope
it will provide a home and a supportive community for researchers
in many areas of science whose work is focused on this objective.
Here
are some examples of research topics that contribute to our
perspective on our relationship to the universe:
Please send
us any suggestions or comments you'd like to add.
Organizing
and summarizing our current scientific understanding of the
universe
In the words
of Gerald Feinberg, "(The goals of the human race) have
not been reconsidered in light of the science of the past
few hundred years." There is much work to be done in synthesizing
what we know from many areas of modern science into a widely
accessible form that is directly usable for evaluating our
goals and considering the direction we want to be moving
as a society.
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The
physical basis for the arrow of time
Our everyday
experience is dominated by a perception that the future
is fundamentally different from the past. We remember the
past but not the future, and we have the ability to change
the future but not the past. The sense of urgency in our
lives and our ability to feel regret about what we have
done, are inextricably tied up with the fact that we live
in a universe with a fundamental property of irreversibility.
Yet it is unclear just how this dominant aspect of our experience
connects with the fundamental laws of physics, which for
the most part do not make a distinction between past and
future. Work in this area is important in order to provide
a bridge connecting the world of ordinary experience to
the objective and abstract world described by physics.
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Constraints
and limitations
At its most fundamental,
our study of science could be seen as arising from the desire
to understand the constraints and limitations we experience
on what we can do and how we can do things. We can visit
the moon, for example, but only by following specific rules
and limitations that are imposed on us. We can't simply
wish ourselves there. The development of this perspective
on science could open up new ways of seeing ourselves and
our everyday choices and actions as an integral part of
the universe.
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Historical
origins of the separation between science and meaning
A better understanding
of how and why the rift was created in the first place will
provide insight into how to repair it. At the same time,
it will help make sure we don't discard any important aspect
of the scientific method when we apply it to research questions
whose answers may provide insight about human meaning. Of
course, much work has been done on the history of science
and the attitudes of society about science. We need to continue
this, and focus on linking this work to the practical questions
of how to change attitudes and reconnect science and meaning.
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What
properties must a "meaningful" universe have?
Findings from
science are often used as evidence that we live in a universe
that is devoid of human meaning. But this negative impression
primarily results from the errors science has pointed out
in particular traditions for establishing meaning.
If we can better articulate the essential properties that
seem necessary for a "meaningful universe" we'll be in a
position to see whether these properties are compatible
(or not) with what we've learned about the universe. This
might help dispel some of the sense many people have that
to embrace science is to embrace a "meaningless" universe,
with no place and no purpose for humans.
Participate
in this project by taking our survey.
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What
causes us to reject scientific ideas?
It is important
to learn exactly what people are looking for that they think
a "scientific" world cannot provide, and that many turn
to pseudoscience or other sources to find. In many cases,
misunderstandings can lead to the belief that we must reject
science in order to find what we're looking for. In this
project, we will try to identify some of the key features
of what we are looking for, what's leading us to feel these
features are incompatible with a scientific view of the
universe, and evaluate whether they may in fact be compatible
(though perhaps in a modified form) with what science has
revealed about nature.
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Quantum
measurement theory
One of the most
puzzling aspects of quantum mechanics is the role of measurement
in the theory. When a measurement is made, a wave function
which represented the probability of different states apparently
"collapses" irreversibly. Although it's well understood
how to predict the results of a measurement based on the
wavefunction, the question of what makes one process a "measurement"
of an observable, while another process does not constitute
a measurement, is not so well understood. The rules of quantum
mechanics seem to require a clear dividing line between
systems which can be observed and analyzed in terms of the
quantum formalism, and systems which act as classical "measuring
devices" and cause the collapse of the wave function. Yet,
there is no clear place to draw the distinction; a measuring
device seems to be just a collection of many of the same
kinds of simple systems to which quantum mechanics can be
applied. It has been suggested that a conscious observer
is needed to make a final measurement and collapse a wave
function, but this is also puzzling. Surely any phenomenon
which leaves behind an irreversible, indellible mark of
what has occurred does so without the direct involvement
of a conscious observer. In any case, an understanding of
quantum measurements appears to be important to our understanding
of concepts important to our search for human meaning, such
as free will and the directionality of time.
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The
anthropic principle in cosmology
It can certainly
be argued that discussion of the "anthropic principle" opens
the door to questionable science in some cases. Nevertheless,
the questions it raises are very important: What type of
universe is capable of supporting life? How likely or unlikely
was it for our universe to generate the proper conditions?
From the perspective of science integration, work in this
area is important for shifting the focus of questioning
onto our place in the universe, rather than just
on the universe in general.
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Archeoastronomy
and cultural anthropology on the role of cosmology in various
cultures
Many cultures
past and present have incorporated their cosmology much
more closely into their daily lives than we do in modern
western society. Understanding how different cultures have
applied their cosmologies to their lives and social organization
will be helpful in understanding how we might do this better
ourselves.
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Nature
and origin of life
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