Book Title: Elusive Consciousness
Author(s): Narendra Bhandari, Surendrasingh Pokharana, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
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development. The situation is so bad that just only six years are now left for permanent irreversible processes to set on Earth. They will be disastrous for the coming generations.
3. LIMITATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY
In all scientific experiments, one measures a small set of parameters and then correlate them to get some relations, which turn out to be some rules and laws. Thus in Newton's laws of motion, one defines mass and acceleration of a particle and then relation is developed between the two. However, let us look at a little more complex system where the problems come into the picture and where interaction with other parameters come into the existence more clearly. Thus when high yielding crop varieties were introduced in the country, the experiments are conducted in small plots by selecting those varieties and confirming the claims that they give higher yields. These results are then recommended for large areas, which has happened in Punjab and other parts of the country. Now over years, this has ultimately resulted into degradation of the soil on a large scale and depletion of the ground water in Punjab. This has happened because while conducting the experiments (laboratory scale), such long term consequences are not looked upon. Means some parameters like extra use of water and increasing use of fertilizer and pesticides in the future is not taken into account. These factors then become important when large scale extension is made in long run. Another example is use of mobile telephone. Here again what science does is to prove (?) that one can receive signal from a distance through electromagnetic wave and so one can communicate with others sitting at large distances through emails and telephones etc. However, while doing those studies, the effect of use of mobiles on human memory is not carried out. A common complaint these days is that with the use of mobiles, one's own memory is decreasing. So again here also some parameters are not taken into account while conducting an "experiment". These new factors come into picture later and virtually become uncontrollable, when there is large scale generalization of the “experimental observations” outside the laboratory and into the field and an uncontrollable expansion of the "experimental observations in the interests of the public”. There is a need now to closely examine these “benefits of science" to the society in general.
3.1. Limitations of scientific methodology due to conservations laws:
Any phenomenon is called scientific if it can be verified in a laboratory under given set of controlled conditions and is reproducible at any point of time and at any place. This condition is called space-time invariance. In addition, we define