I 



CHALLENGES AND THE RESPONSE 



OF SCIENCE 



This chapter discusses briefly the nature of the general challenges 

 cited earlier — challenges of the unknown, of nature, of society, and of 

 man's growing power to shape the future — and reviews the past and 

 possible future role of science in helping to respond to them. 



Challenge of the Unknown 



The urge to know the unknown, to explore the unexplored, and to 

 explain the unexplained is among the most universal of traits. Indeed, 

 curiosity and exploratory behavior are exhibited not only by Homo 

 sapiens but by other species of animals as well. Their prevalence 

 suggests that such behavior constitutes a "biological imperative," 

 crucial to survival. 



All cultures, past and present, attempt to explain the origin, 

 relationship, and fate of man and nature. Each culture fashions its own 

 response, and the results have been as diverse as the cultures 

 themselves, ranging from astrology to zoroastricfnism. The response, 

 in whatever form it may occur, shapes the aspirations, values, and 

 intellectual life of the culture. 



Science has become a predominant response of modern cultures, a 

 response which differs from earlier ones in many ways. Science in 

 some respects is limited in its goals; it does not, for example, seek 

 answers to questions such as ultimate purpose. It concentrates instead 

 on observing and measuring the tangible, often through the use of 

 instruments which extend the senses into domains that are otherwise 

 inaccessible. Science is cumulative in an evolutionary way; it builds 

 upon its past but modifies itself by incorporating new insights superior 

 in explanatory power to existing ones. It is also self-testing and self- 

 correcting; errors may occur, but they are found and rectified 

 eventually. These basic and unique characteristics of science make it 

 the most successful response so far fashioned by man for pursuing and 

 unraveling the unknown. 



