[Paper Review] Science In Trauma

B. C. Chauhan|arXiv (Cornell University)|Oct 22, 2002

Quantum Mechanics and Applications22 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper argues that modern science suffers from a fundamental 'trauma' due to its exclusion of the observer—particularly the human mind—despite consciousness being essential to all observations. By integrating the knower into scientific theories, the paper proposes a paradigm shift to resolve foundational crises in physics, cosmology, and scientific ethics.

ABSTRACT

Quantum theory has been proved as an outstanding mystery in modern science. The predictions of science have turned out to be probabilistic. The principle of determinism has failed. For systems like weather, earthquakes, rolling dices etc... and of course human behavior it has proved impossible, for science, to describe a state of the system accurately for a long time into the future. Moreover, modern cosmology has to rely on philosophical assumptions. It is argued -- by taking into account of the views of learned scientists and philosophers -- that modern science can never explain everything and it is a hard fact to discover the ``Theory Of Everything''. On the other hand, modern scientific technology have damaged our environment and posed serious threats for the future development of science. All these facts and results put a big question-mark (?) on the grass-root level working of science. In fact, all scientific researches are based upon ordinary sense perception, which keeps the outer physical universe as a separate entity, that is something quite independent of the observer. Basically, it is the observer -- the knower -- which makes perception possible. Astonishingly, the knower -- human mind -- is not included in our scientific theories. One should not forget human-being (human mind) is a part of nature and an essential component of our observations, so it's inclusion in scientific theories is must in order to recover modern science from the drastic state of trauma.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the crisis in modern science caused by the failure of determinism and the limitations of probabilistic predictions.
• To challenge the assumption that the external physical universe exists independently of the observer.
• To argue that the human mind, as an integral part of nature, must be included in scientific theories to restore coherence.
• To confront the ethical and existential threats posed by science's technological misuse and philosophical assumptions.
• To propose a reformation of scientific methodology by incorporating consciousness as a core component.

Proposed method

• Proposes a re-evaluation of scientific foundations through philosophical and scientific critique of observer independence.
• Analyzes the role of perception and consciousness in scientific observation, emphasizing the knower's necessity.
• Draws on insights from quantum theory, cosmology, and epistemology to highlight systemic omissions.
• Argues that science's reliance on sense perception creates a false separation between observer and observed.
• Advocates for a new scientific framework that includes the human mind as a fundamental component.
• Uses logical and philosophical reasoning to demonstrate the incoherence of excluding consciousness from science.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Why has modern science failed to achieve a deterministic description of complex systems like weather or human behavior?
• RQ2 How does the exclusion of the observer (the knower) undermine the credibility of scientific theories?
• RQ3 Why is the human mind, as part of nature, essential to scientific observation and thus must be included in scientific models?
• RQ4 What are the philosophical and practical consequences of science’s reliance on unexamined assumptions about objectivity?
• RQ5 How can science be reformed to address its existential and ethical crises by integrating consciousness?

Key findings

• Science's reliance on sense perception creates a false dichotomy between observer and observed, leading to foundational inconsistencies.
• The failure of determinism in systems like weather and human behavior reveals inherent limits in current scientific frameworks.
• Modern cosmology depends on unproven philosophical assumptions, undermining its scientific rigor.
• The human mind is an essential component of observation and must be integrated into scientific theories to resolve systemic contradictions.
• Excluding consciousness from science has led to technological misuse and a crisis of meaning in scientific inquiry.
• A new scientific paradigm that includes the knower is necessary to restore coherence and ethical responsibility in science.