engleski

Fundamental issues in life and science?

This pretentious title (softened by the question mark) is provoked by the similarly ambitious title of the Workshop. But, unlike the title, this paper will be an attempt to understand the character and the real meaning of the question itself, instead of trying to provide an answer. One of the issues I want to address is the gap or separation or dichotomy between the concept of “fundamental” in science, in our (quasi) rational attempts to understand reality, and what is “fundamental” in life, for an individual, or a group or a “society”.. Are there different levels of importance relevance with their relative scale of “fundamentality” eventually connecting those in life and science? In science one could (and traditionally does) define these big questions in two directions: Origin of universe its structure, development and future, and Origin of life, evolution if species, human consciousness. In life one has to make a personal choice of one’s existential questions, leading to a personal “philosophy”, which may include religiosity, superstitions, , a specific set of (recognized or not) values, influenced by heredity, environment etc. Are these two groups connected, do they form a continuum, are they subject to the same criteria and verification, and how? Are these questions structured into different levels according e.g. to importance, complexity or some other scale? Or do we live and function in a schizophrenic state, in two completely separate worlds ... As might be concluded by noticing the fact that all “big” scientific problems and discoveries are irrelevant for our personal behaviour. How real are then these questions and their answers? I shall argue that these two areas are connected only marginally: through technology as the follow up of scientific discoveries, and through various politically formulated and transmitted ideological “packages” related to scientific concepts and theories.

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