The Shortcomings of Western Science

Abstract

Modern science has become the only generally recognized cognitive authority in the modern world, yet Western science and technology are contributing to a society whose long-term sustainability is in doubt. Thus a crucial question becomes, "How can inquiry in the scientific spirit be so modified (in epistemology or more fundamentally) that it more completely serves the highest needs of humanity?" Most scientists assume that the epistemological question has been settled long ago in the definition of "scientific method. " Yet Western science is based on epistemological and ontological assumptions that, however well they may have served the prediction and control functions of science, are less suited to serving the understanding function of science. This article examines the need for a reexamination of scientific epistemology and proposes nine characteristics of a more suitable epistemology.