The Enigma Of The Universe : Views of Scientists

Generally, people do not distinguish between theoretical science and practical science. They regard them as one thing, viz. science. Although it is true that practical science is intimately connected with theoretical science, there is a fundamental difference between them, especially with respect to their reliability. Actually, it has been affirmed "that the experimental data of physics do not imply its theoretical concepts. From this, it follows that the object of scientific knowledge is never known directly by observation or experimentation but is only known by speculatively proposed theoretic construction or axiomatic postulation, tested only indirectly and experimentally via its deduced consequences."^[1] Therefore, in spite of the wonderful achievements of science in the fields of engineering and technology, we cannot regard the 'laws of science' or the 'theories of science' as the "ultimate truths." The reason lies in the fact that the scientific theories are more speculative than what a layman thinks. Expressed positively, this means that theory of physics is neither a mere description of experimental facts nor something deducible from such a description; instead, as Einstein has emphasized, the physical scientist only arrives at his theory by speculative means. The deduction in his method runs not from facts to the assumptions of the theory but from the assumed theory to the facts and the experimental data. Consequently, theories have to be proposed speculatively and pursued deductively with respect to their many consequences so that they can be put to indirect experimental tests. In short, any theory of physics makes more physical and philosophical assumptions than the facts alone give or imply. For this reason, any theory is subject to further modification and reconstruction.^[2] Thus, the scientists themselves have become aware of the fact that whatever knowledge they possess in the form of present science is not only 'incomplete' but also 'uncertain.' This has been repeatedly accepted by the great scientists of the world.