Scientists Bearing Gifts

I am not a scientist. I have studied engineering and medicine. I never studied, as a student, business or economics or law. I have written extensively on things I did not study and was actually a Professor in two Business Schools. I have studied science but I do not think as a scientist. I try to integrate facts as an engineer would and as a physician would. I recognize that facts can be deceiving and that ultimately we live in a world of humans and it is run by the need to feed, clothe and house them and give them meaning to their existence.

I have dealt with scientists. They can be frustrating. They often have tunnel vision believing that their world view, oftentimes unique, is the only and best world view. Almost all scientists battle amongst each other wherein each argues that their world view of their science specialty is the correct one.

Scientists live in a world of Petri dishes, one-off experiments. In my experience I find they feel their work is done when the publish a peer reviewed paper, it takes on a sense of Godly truth. Reproducibility is irrelevant and scaling their results up to have some commercial viability is beyond their ken.

All too often if the scientists is given too much leeway the can become in their own minds god like, sensing that their word must be accepted above all. However we know that life is a blend of compromises. Survival as a society is more valuable than perfection as a scientist. Scientists all too often confront each other, each having their own world view and each having their own way of seeing existence and importance.

Science is but one leg of the platform in which we see and live in the world. Multiple scientists may tug and pull at that leg as do economists on the financial leg and politicians on the political leg. Physicians are craftsmen, trained, and educated, to understand what the disease is and how to treat it. They sometimes may deal with the why but given their job of healing the sick with tools available the pondering over the sick is generally unfruitful. Engineers are akin to physicians. They use the tools of the trade; understanding of materials and structures, circuits and systems. The scientists is interested in the one of, whereas the engineer and physician focuses on the many, the reliable and repeatable reproduction of acts and actions to benefit civilization.

Thus when we hear that we should trust science and the scientists, I see engineers build repeatable bridges and physicians heal many cancers, yet I see scientists often in inter-Nicene warfare amongst each other supporting many now one off ideas. Scientists often do not have to deal with the consequences. There is no malpractice for a scientists. Engineers and physicians can get sued for malpractice, a scientists to my knowledge never has, although there was a case in Italy regarding a volcano, but that was Italy.

Thus we should be wary of scientists bearing gifts. For if we ask the next scientists who comes along they may have a totally different set of gifts. Furthermore the gifts may not be that good.