The scientific method was a great discovery (or invention – your choice) and has done much to advance knowledge and facilitate the creation of wealth. That said, its abilities are limited, and it’s all too easy for charlatans to advance debatable agendas by wrapping them in the language of science.
Value Judgments
Science simply can’t make value judgments. Science can tell you how to do something, but not what to do. (The scientific method can help you discover a lot of information related to rocket travel, but it can’t tell you whether or not you should send a man to the Moon.) The question of what to do is a political, economic, or moral one.
If someone claims that science says that you must do something, they’re lying.
Testable Predictions
If a scientfic result doesn’t make testable predictions, it isn’t really science. String theory comes in for a lot of abuse on this score, but the “social sciences”, such as economics, are just as bad. That’s not to say that economics isn’t a valuable area of study – it is – but the fact that you can’t do reproducible experiments pretty much rules it out as a science.
If someone asks you to accept a “scientific” result (a model or theory) that makes no falsifiable predictions, or that hasn’t had those predictions tested, then the result may be correct, but it isn’t scientific.
Nullius In Verba
The Royal Society of London’s motto (from 1663) translates as “On No Man’s Word”. Repeating what you’ve been told, even if you’ve been told by someone claiming to be a scientist, doesn’t make you a scientist. Only going forth and doing your own experiments counts as scientific activity.
If someone is repeating what they’ve heard, then they, in a real sense, don’t know what they’re talking about.
Still Great
All that said, science is still great. When used to forumulate positive (as opposed to normative) statements about the world, when those statements are testable, and when you’re actually doing the testing yourself, it’s a world-beater of a way to investigate the world.
On the other hand, to really apply the scientific method is extremely time-consuming. Even if you’re a full-time, professional, practicing scientist, the vast majority of the issues you confront in your life will be handled with something less than scientific rigor.
So, a little reflection is in order before invoking the “s” word.
