We like to think that science exists in a cosy, objective world based on facts and evidence. But from gravity to dark matter, string theory to the multiverse, many of its theories exist on the fringe due to a lack of substantive proof. Have we made too much of evidence and underestimated the value of imagination and conjecture in leading us towards greater understanding and enlightenment? Or has science fallen prey to the same post-truth fantasies plaguing contemporary politics, placing too little emphasis on scientific method and too much faith in abstract theories?
In this week’s release from our partners at the Institute of Art and Ideas, APA member and CUNY philosopher Massimo Pigliucci, CERN and University of Liverpool physicist Tara Shears and outspoken researcher and parapsychologist Rupert Sheldrake imagine what science without evidence might look like.
This video was produced by The Institute of Art and Ideas and is republished here with permission. It was filmed at HowTheLightGetsIn 2016 alongside 200 other debates and talks, all available for free at IAI TV. Their new podcast, Philosophy for our times, is available here.
