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Your use of English confuses me at some points; but, I think I've gotten
your gist. I agree that a scientist is not (indeed _cannot_) be neutral
or amoral. Scientists are humans first and foremost. And humans cannot
be neutral. They are indocrinated throughout their life and learn
things IN context. ("Neutrality", to some extent, implies a large
percentage of invariants through context changes.) So, it is false to
claim that a scientist should be neutral.
However, it is not false to claim that science (in contrast to the
humans who engage in it) can be mostly neutral. It can't be completely
neutral because every product of science assumes some sub-set of all the
other products of science. But, it can at least be somewhat spatially
and temporally context independent. In fact, that's part of the
definition of science, that it contain invariants through time and space.
The point you bring up about individuals (or sub-groups) and their
posited models is a good one. But, a model is NOT scientific if it is
only posited, held, or tested once (by one individual or one execution).
A model can only be scientific if it's been posited, held, and/or
tested by multiple people, in multiple contexts, and executed multiple
times. Science is a social phenomenon, external to any single
individual and (hopefully) external to any single sub-group.
The interesting part of science, to me, lies in applying its results.
And in that sense, science definitely has a social role to play. In
fact, there's little point in engaging in science if all you want is to
understand the universe, by yourself in your closet. You can understand
the universe in purely metaphysical or metaphorical terms if you like.
The point of science is to collectively pursue not just understanding
but meaning and engineering.
Alfredo CV wrote:
> Many years ago when I was working on my undergraduate thesis in the
> jungle of Amazonas in Colombia, I knew a North American Anthropologist
> whom had been working there for a long time studying the way how an
> indigenous culture disappeared. I horrified with it and thought It was
> inmoral. Older members of the team of researchers where I was working
> told me that she was making science and that a scientific must be
> neutral. I think it's totally false. A scientific has an emotional and
> political charge, deep inside feels himself like a demiurge and for
> these reasons can't be completely impartial. What is science for?
> Science have a social function, must help us to understand and resolve
> problems but of course is an instruments of politics because finally we
> are in a world of gangs.
>
> I have an hypothesis: biotechnology, robotics, informatics, smart
> software and internationalization of economy will increase poverty in
> the underdeveloped world. I'm not a scientific but suppose I am, I take
> data and develop a sophisticated model. Maybe, be sure, I'll conclude
> that my hypothesis is true and I'll say for first time something
> brilliant like "Poverty is a emergent process"... wow, what a
> conclusion!!!. If a guy which dream is to be high executive of the
> World Bank, IMF or WTO takes data and develops a sophisticated model
> will conclude that my hypothesis is false and will say "Richness is an
> emergent process". Maybe neither of us will be telling lies, of course
> I'll be right but I'll pray for his conclusion to be right because at
> the end he will be a high executive and will have the last word.
- --
glen e. p. ropella, 971-219-3846, http://tempusdictum.com
The poet, the artist, the sleuth - whoever sharpens our perception tends
to be antisocial... he cannot go along with currents and trends. --
Alfred North Whitehead
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