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Real Science (Part 4)
| SERIES: Real Science AUTHOR: Jim Schofield |
STRANDS: PHILOSOPHY / THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD |
ABSTRACT: This series of papers is concerned with the major flaws in the current scientific approach in isolating, extracting and abstracting formulae, and the description, and further formulation, of an already existing, and considerably more important, explanatory aspect of Science into THE major and necessary alternative. It contrasts the established and universally applauded pluralist approach, with a so-far, undeveloped holistic alternative. The main criticism of the standard scientific method lies in its assumption that Reality can always be analysed into a hierarchy of Wholes and their constituent Parts, and by this means explain the causes and motive forces that produce Reality as is. To reveal its limitations it likens the usual approach involved to that in a horticultural farm, and compares that with the state in a wholly unfettered area of virgin rain forest, and how it performs. It attempts to show, thereby, how the criticised approach studies a significantly and rigidly controlled set of Domains, and not Reality as is. How this enables Mankind to actually produce for need is addressed, as is the impossibility of dealing with real, qualitative development, and hence the actual Evolution of Reality. After the extensive criticisms, the question is posed as to how these can be corrected using what seems to be an impossible alternative – a completely holistic approach, where everything affects everything else. This leads to the definition of General Development with two different and contrasting phases. One involves slow changes within Stability, while the other, achieves its changes via quick, cataclysmic and indeed revolutionary overturns, in what are called Emergences. The full set of questions posed in these papers, it must be said, are by no means yet fully answered. |
SYNOPSIS: 1. Finally, we must address significant Qualitative Change. This occurs over short, episodic and revolutionary periods and leads the wholly NEW. These events are today termed Emergences, but were discovered by Hegel in Human Thinking in his work on the Absolute Idea. But for us the defining Event has to be the Origin of Life on Earth. 2. These are NOT merely formal re-organisations! The whole nature of Reality is changed by such Events. Life is no simple complication of inanimate chemical processes. It is a New Mode of Existence of Reality. 3. And Emergences happen again and again throughout the History of Reality, and are most frequent and more significant since the Advent of Life.. 4. An Emergence greatly expands the Possibility Space of Reality. It creates the wholly NEW, and the laws that apply to it, and modifies the very ground which gave rise to it. 5. But, acceptance of the Nature of these Events is by no means even common nowadays. Indeed, most research into them concentrates on precursor processes in the previous non-living Level, and assumes that they alone will “explain” the following Emergence. This is crucially wrong! 6. The only lived-through Emergence that can happen to us is the Social Revolution, and hence it is in the serious study of such events that the real trajectory od an Emergence can be discovered. 7. BUT, there is nothing inevitable about such Emergences. They do not always succeed, and in Social Revolutions involving conscious Mankind, this aspect is even more clear. 8. An Emergence can ONLY be conceived of holistically! No control can be involved, though the forces of reaction can stem the flow, and powerful other groups can divert it to particular ends. It is an Event which must be taken on-the-fly! 9. Indeed, it is becoming clear from just such analyses (Michelet and Trotsky are the prime examples), that an Emergenceis actually a series of cataclysms, each producing a wholly new situation, but merely as temporary ground for the next destructive dive, as well as producing wholly new things.. 10. The full dynamic that finally produces a New Stable Level is not yet clear, but its elements are anticipated in the following papers on Order out of Chaos. |
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