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Free Will Leads To Other Thoughts On Science

Wikipedia (public domain)

For many years, philosophers and other deep-thinkers have discussed a wide array of ideas concerning humankind and our ability to make choices. This week  I began reading a work by Erasmus, titled “On Free Will”, and while I am very interested in the subject matter of the book, I was immediately struck by several phrases which I found in the early parts of the work. 

    These phrases or sections make a strong case that knowledge which creates dissension or disagreement sometimes would be better off uninvestigated.  While not a scholar of his works, I thought once again about the approach that scientists take which would be at odds with this  sentiment.  In science, the only approach is to investigate nature and to always make public the results of those investigations.  Even though no actual vows are spoken, it is part of the creed of science, that more knowledge is always better than less.

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.