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Way of Science: Finding Truth and Meaning in a Scientific Worldview
How science can convey a profound sense of wonder, connectedness, and optimism about the human condition.This book makes a compelling case that now more than ever the public at large needs to appreciate the critical-thinking tools that science has to offer and be educated in basic science literacy. The author emphasizes that the methods and facts of science are accessible to everyone, and that, contrary to popular belief, understanding science does not require extraordinary intelligence. He also notes that scientific rationality and critical thinking are not only good for our physical well-being but also are fully in sync with our highest moral codes. He illustrates the many ways in which the scientific worldview offers a profound sense of wonder, connectedness, and optimism about the human condition, an inspiring perspective that satisfies age-old spiritual aspirations. At a time of daunting environmental challenges and rampant misinformation, this book provides a welcome corrective and reason to hope for the future.
- GenresScienceNonfiction
347 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Dennis R. Trumble
1 book9 followersDennis R. Trumble is an engineer, educator, and science writer who has lived and worked in the city of Pittsburgh since 1988. Though now a confirmed city-dweller, he grew up in a small town in upstate New York where farm animals outnumbered village residents by a wide margin and snowmobiles were a common mode of transportation in the winter months. Following high school he attended the University of Notre Dame where he worked the sidelines of the 1981 Sugar Bowl and earned two degrees in Electrical Engineering (BS/MS) before heading to the Artificial Heart Lab at Penn State to complete a second master’s degree, this one in Bioengineering. After working twenty-plus years as a research scientist, he completed his PhD at Carnegie Mellon University where he currently teaches Medical Devices and directs the Clinical Practicum program for the Biomedical Engineering Department.
The first part of Dr. Trumble’s professional career was spent at Allegheny General Hospital where he met his wife Kathleen and worked with surgeons to develop better ways to capture muscle power for long-term circulatory support. It was here, amid a thriving surgical research program, that he gained a profound appreciation not only for the importance of this work in alleviating human suffering, but also for the animals that served as a test bed for the lifesaving procedures developed in the lab.
Having been raised in a farming community and schooled in the best Protestant tradition, Dennis was very familiar with the biblical doctrine that all animals were created specifically for human use and that “every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you” (Genesis 9:3). Still, as a researcher in the life sciences he couldn’t help wondering whether, in modern times, science might offer a more reliable appraisal of our moral obligations toward our fellow creatures. It was this question that prompted him to begin writing The Way of Science, first as a personal meditation on the question of animal welfare and, ultimately, as a way to share what he came to understand in the process; namely, that scientific rationality and critical thinking are not only good for our physical well-being but also good for the soul—and essential to our achieving the kind of global stewardship worthy of our spiritual aspirations.
When Dennis is not working to advance artificial heart technologies or pondering the larger implications of the scientific worldview, he enjoys traveling, winemaking, vegetarian cooking, ballroom dancing, and playing hoops.
The first part of Dr. Trumble’s professional career was spent at Allegheny General Hospital where he met his wife Kathleen and worked with surgeons to develop better ways to capture muscle power for long-term circulatory support. It was here, amid a thriving surgical research program, that he gained a profound appreciation not only for the importance of this work in alleviating human suffering, but also for the animals that served as a test bed for the lifesaving procedures developed in the lab.
Having been raised in a farming community and schooled in the best Protestant tradition, Dennis was very familiar with the biblical doctrine that all animals were created specifically for human use and that “every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you” (Genesis 9:3). Still, as a researcher in the life sciences he couldn’t help wondering whether, in modern times, science might offer a more reliable appraisal of our moral obligations toward our fellow creatures. It was this question that prompted him to begin writing The Way of Science, first as a personal meditation on the question of animal welfare and, ultimately, as a way to share what he came to understand in the process; namely, that scientific rationality and critical thinking are not only good for our physical well-being but also good for the soul—and essential to our achieving the kind of global stewardship worthy of our spiritual aspirations.
When Dennis is not working to advance artificial heart technologies or pondering the larger implications of the scientific worldview, he enjoys traveling, winemaking, vegetarian cooking, ballroom dancing, and playing hoops.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 6, 2013
This is a very good book on critical thinking and science. Trumble discusses why it is difficult for some people to accept the evidence that science presents about how the world is. For instance, while virtually everybody accepts that atoms exist, many people still don’t accept evolution, an idea that is supported by strong evidence from diverse scientific areas, such as genetics, animal behavior and paleontology. The reason is that atoms don’t offend the way some people see the world (and its meaning, of course). So, some of us tend to have what Trumble called an “à la carte attitude towards the sciences”. We accept what we want, and deny evidence that goes against our beliefs.
In spite of the things and the answers that science (and technology) has given us, many people still don’t know how important it is to understand the basic facts about the world, and also understand how science works. More important (and this was also pointed out by Carl Sagan in “The demon-haunted world”): science encourages clear thinking, a way of thinking that demands that people offer good reasons for the things they do and think. In a world in which we still see irrational behavior everywhere (people prosecuting others for “witchery”, blaming victims for “attracting” the evil, killing animals because they “give us bad luck”, and so on) it is deeply important to read the things Trumble has to tell us about the importance of science and critical thinking for our lives.
In spite of the things and the answers that science (and technology) has given us, many people still don’t know how important it is to understand the basic facts about the world, and also understand how science works. More important (and this was also pointed out by Carl Sagan in “The demon-haunted world”): science encourages clear thinking, a way of thinking that demands that people offer good reasons for the things they do and think. In a world in which we still see irrational behavior everywhere (people prosecuting others for “witchery”, blaming victims for “attracting” the evil, killing animals because they “give us bad luck”, and so on) it is deeply important to read the things Trumble has to tell us about the importance of science and critical thinking for our lives.
September 20, 2013
When author Dennis R. Trumble first put pen to paper he had intended to examine the moral implications of using animals in medical research, a topic of considerable interest to him as a biomedical researcher. As he began to write, however, he was struck by the thought that anyone who chooses to believe in special creation—and recent polls indicate that over half of all Americans do—would be able to dismiss the entire subject without a thought. As discouraging as this was to contemplate, it wasn’t the most disturbing thought to cross his mind. Far more troubling was the realization that this demotic mindset is not only a perfect impediment to our moral reasoning but also an increasingly serious threat to humanity itself. Climate change, nuclear proliferation, human overpopulation, the loss of biodiversity: clearly none of these problems are going to be solved by actions inspired by unfounded beliefs, be they religious or otherwise. Nor is our continued allegiance to competing dogmas likely to inspire the sort of global cooperation required to meet the critical challenges of the twenty-first century and beyond. Confronted with this reality, Trumble realized that the book he wanted to write had to wait until he had finished the book he needed to write; a plainspoken appeal to reason that bridges the cultures of science and faith by demystifying the scientific process and challenging the common conviction that, right or wrong, the benefits of unthinking faith are worth the cost.
The main purpose of this book is to connect with the growing community of contemplative churchgoers whose frustration with having to reconcile a holy host of unrealistic expectations has inspired them to search for answers that make sense. The take-home message to nonscientists and people of faith is that the scientific outlook is not only something that most everyone can understand on an intellectual level, it is also as emotionally satisfying as any faith-based philosophy you can imagine. Just as importantly, The Way of Science shows that moral truths and personal meaning are not merely the stuff of religious doctrine; they are tangible realities that can be discovered through an honest examination of ourselves and of the world around us.
To likeminded readers looking to help secure the blessings of rational discourse for ourselves and our posterity, the author delivers a different message. To achieve a critical mass of critical thinkers and shift the global balance toward a more considered and considerate way of thinking, Trumble urges rationalists everywhere to step up and do their part to convince the general public of the moral necessity of scientific thinking. To make this happen Trumble insists “it is important that we acknowledge that faith-based worldviews exist for a reason and that, as a group, people of faith are as bright as anyone. If the majority of Americans prefer to believe that life began in a garden less than 100 centuries ago it is because scientists and educators have failed to make a compelling case for not believing it. We need to do a better job explaining why the scientific perspective, which values reason, empiricism, and anti-authoritarianism, is the best guarantor of our social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.”
Darwin may have said it best when he wrote, “there is grandeur in this view of life.” This book, at its heart, is an invitation to embrace this good news—and one another—as we make our way through this strange and wonderful thing we call life.
The main purpose of this book is to connect with the growing community of contemplative churchgoers whose frustration with having to reconcile a holy host of unrealistic expectations has inspired them to search for answers that make sense. The take-home message to nonscientists and people of faith is that the scientific outlook is not only something that most everyone can understand on an intellectual level, it is also as emotionally satisfying as any faith-based philosophy you can imagine. Just as importantly, The Way of Science shows that moral truths and personal meaning are not merely the stuff of religious doctrine; they are tangible realities that can be discovered through an honest examination of ourselves and of the world around us.
To likeminded readers looking to help secure the blessings of rational discourse for ourselves and our posterity, the author delivers a different message. To achieve a critical mass of critical thinkers and shift the global balance toward a more considered and considerate way of thinking, Trumble urges rationalists everywhere to step up and do their part to convince the general public of the moral necessity of scientific thinking. To make this happen Trumble insists “it is important that we acknowledge that faith-based worldviews exist for a reason and that, as a group, people of faith are as bright as anyone. If the majority of Americans prefer to believe that life began in a garden less than 100 centuries ago it is because scientists and educators have failed to make a compelling case for not believing it. We need to do a better job explaining why the scientific perspective, which values reason, empiricism, and anti-authoritarianism, is the best guarantor of our social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.”
Darwin may have said it best when he wrote, “there is grandeur in this view of life.” This book, at its heart, is an invitation to embrace this good news—and one another—as we make our way through this strange and wonderful thing we call life.
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December 11, 2013Featured on Science for the People show #229 on September 6, 2013, during an interview with author Dennis Trumble. http://www.scienceforthepeople.ca/epi...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews