An insight into scientific knowledge

Science is a source of human knowledge and constructive criticism, for which it depends on the public’s acceptance or rejection to attain its rational purpose. It is therefore always intertwined with advocacy. Science has been created by humans in the attempt to describe the nature of the universe by relying on our reasoning through hypothetical theories and observation, which ultimately will contribute to knowledge. However, it is virtually impossible to establish science as a completely unbiased practice since it has been developed by humans that will always possess certain affinities in their beliefs, objectives and methodologies. For this reason, science can become even more beneficial for humanity when accepting its vulnerability and limitations, to thus allow scientific discourse to reach a larger spectrum of experts and the public and not just rely on a reduced number of people to validate their theories or findings. Obviously scientific research should be conducted objectively and responsible to avoid drawing early deductions that would compromise its validity. To exemplify this further an analogy can be used, namely, Franz Boas’ cultural relativism. One can say that he provided a means to study a particular culture in the most objective and unbiased way possible by not relying on the standards of another culture. This was clearly a noble attempt to liberate a scientific study in cultural anthropology from subjective bias as in the times of armchair anthropology. Thus, Boas can be used as an example of using knowledge for a good cause, as it should always be. To conclude, science should be linked with advocacy for it is a source of human knowledge that ultimately should be used for humanitarian objectives and to solve social problems, while allowing the possibility of scientific debate open.

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