Science and Open-mindedness

I studied western science in college and spent considerable time in various labs.  Over some period of time, I learned that the deeper value of science, at least philosophically, is in its systemic way of evaluating/criticizing the results and hence getting nearer to the "truth."  However, science is not the truth in itself. Even Newtonian Physics, considered by many to be absolutely correct for the past several hundred years, have been proven otherwise in the last century.

The knowledge we gain from science, despite the immense practical usefulness in our life, is still theories and the products of the mind which in the future could be challenged and amended. The real world may be different than what we generally know about, although this idea may be difficult for our mind to accept. We have the natural desire to know, eager to conceptualize and theorize to grasp the world we live in. This brings about the world which may seem very realistic yet not without an element of imagination; one feels the comfort and safety from "knowing the world" in return.

This does not mean I don't value science. Far from it! Science, or scientific method is the only way that I am aware of, which would enable us to objectively reach closer to the "truth." However, it is a tool which is capable of generating fallible conclusions.  Even just recently, how many conflicting scientific reports have we seen regarding certain drugs, global warming, etc?

I have summarized a few papers which attempt to explain how acupuncture works (click here). Many people are working on this topic, and I believe in due time we will have a convincing western scientific theory. But we would not know how close to the truth it will be.  That seems to be the limit of science: its findings are replaceable in the future.

This leads us to having an open-mindedness. We must enjoy the things we know, yet be fully aware of the possibility of being proven wrong, and keep an attitude of searching and questioning - without which the progress toward the truth is not possible.