I’m hoping our back-and-forth will be useful not just for us, but for those who encounter the claim that science is only one way among many to gain

Letter | Public Conversation and Debate

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2021-06-12 22:00:04

I’m hoping our back-and-forth will be useful not just for us, but for those who encounter the claim that science is only one way among many to gain knowledge. This idea is of course popular among religionists, who tout their own “ways of knowing”, but also among postmodernists who argue that knowledge is socially conditioned and “truth” overrated. But I suspect you’ll reject those positions and concentrate instead on art, music, and literature.

Our question for discussion is: “Are the methods used by science the only ways of knowing?” I’ll take the “yes” side and presume you’ll go with the “no”. Let me say at once that I don’t think science is “better” than the arts. All my life I’ve found solace in art—especially literature. But science and art serve different ...