Will science survive human nature.

[steve_bank]

Obviously communications were not what they are today.

Probably a fraction of what was done was passed down in writing.

Science survives because it benefits society and enhances survival. Science is an arbitrary term. Controlled fire, arrows then arrows spin stabilized with feathers all without any formal science as we have. It is a natural survival trait.

Not just humans. Chimps work rocks to an edge to crack nuts and the skill is passed on.

 

[fromderinside]

Point is I provide two examples where science wasn't preserved. So, in essence, in two populations science didn't survive. Sure the larger group retained fire on Australia. However I suspect that many times before that time when groups were too small the capability for starting fire was lost. And I suspect that many time even large populations lost preserving a particular science or engineering capability.

My point is that if something is empirical in nature humans will find ways to discover it however many times then need to to have it finally wind up in the present known. We often find more than one discovery of a principle or law in near time or subsequent time.

This takes me back to my earlier comment about rational logic without empirical reasoning.

 

[steve_bank]

I remember something about NASA loosing the formula for the SST heat tiles..

p1 Some science has been lost in the past.
c Therefore science may not survive at all.

Conclusion does not follow from premise. We have Pythagoras, Archimedes and more. History shows that in general know-edge grows and is passed on.

 

[fromderinside]

More Likely

p1 behavior changes lead to loss of science in the past
c Therefore behavior changes may lead to science lost forever

Now conclusion does follow from premise. History shows that knowledge is lost when conditions for sustaining behavior are lost.

My caution is that US will lose sustaining behavior for science and mathematics because behavior no longer is required for retaining competence in science and mathematics to provide increased food supply.

Instead US will become warrior state where power is preferred to scientific and engineering competence. Loss of math and science will lead to reduced food supply capability. Increased population growth will make food supply critical. Because we are warriors we will depend on others to provide innovations for sustaining growth. Even if others infuse science and mathematics into population US will still become a third world nation.