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2. SCIENCEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Version 1.3 March 20122.0 What can we learn from Science?
2.1 Scientific Method                                                                                    Version 1.2 March 2012Science investigates nature to develop shared explanations and models of how things work, by reasoning about the evidence and openly debating the process, results and conclusions; but science doesn’t give us core values, what we should do; rather it helps us to know what actions are skilful and practical to achieve our aims. …more 2.2 How the Universe Began                                                                    Version 1.2 March 2012No-philosophy, science or religion can explain the mystery of existence itself, but science explains how the universe evolved after the big bang, how the fundamental forces like gravity and electromagnetism evolved, matter emerged from the primal energy, how the elements formed, how galaxies arose and stars began to shine. …more 2.3 How The World Began                                                                          Version 1.2 March 2012Our Sun and its planets – including Earth – and the Moon developed from clouds of gas and dust left over after other stars exploded, and how we have night and day, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, mountains, the air, winds, rain, rivers, oceans, continents, tides, seasons, weather and different climates. … more 2.4 How Life Began                                                                                        Version 1.2 March 2012Science is working out how life began, how simple chemical processes formed localised cycles, how copies of these formed, how other molecules surrounded these processes to form living cells, how these became more complex, with photosynthesis (which made atmospheric oxygen), respiration and sexual reproduction. …more 2.5 How Life Diversified                                                                              Version 1.2 March 2012Life diversified, from single cells to multicellular plants and animals, how species evolved into predators and prey and some acquired nervous systems, leading to pleasure and suffering, and some species evolved into males and females, acquiring sexual drives and some evolved cooperation to support individual survival instincts. …more 2.6 How People Began                                                                                 Version 1.2 March 2012Apes in East Africa evolved into a variety of early humans, walking upright, and, compared to the apes, with little hair, opposable thumbs, big penises, big breasts and big brains, who used tools for hunting and gathering, and who spread over Eurasia, but the other early humans were eventually replaced by homo sapiens sapiens – us. …more 2.7 How Minds Began                                                                                   Version 1.2 March 2012Science is developing explanations of how humans evolved into emotional, thinking, conscious, tool making, singing, talking hunter gatherers, with moral and spiritual feelings, an innate calculus of right and wrong, and how xenophobia, racism, sexuality and sexism evolved, and how we can learn to control our ‘primitive’ nature. … more
Part 2 Science: Conclusions (Draft) Scientific reasoning and analysis of the evidence does not lead directly to values but provides factual information that influences our understanding and guides our choices: i)        The scientific method depends on valuing the truth, acknowledging uncertainty, investigating and debating the features of the universe, acknowledging that the ultimate nature of reality is hidden; using our human ingenuity, struggling to understand, showing respect for others, their histories, perspectives and opinions; and open to the elegance, beauty and awe of the world. ii)       Though we don't know what happened right at the Big Bang, or before it, we do know how the physical forces, the elements, stars and planets evolved after it;            There are no scientific grounds for invoking special forces to sustain life; iii)      We know how the solar system, including the sun, the Earth and the Moon evolved, how the air, the seas and the land evolved, what causes day and night, the seasons, the tides, the years, the winds, the weather and the climate; iv)      There are no scientific grounds for invoking special forces to sustain life; v)        There are no scientific grounds for invoking special forces to show how life diversified vi)      Humans evolved from the great apes, who evolved from mammals;            There are no scientific grounds to discriminate among races; vii)     Our brains are our minds working, and science is beginning to understand how we learn, how emotions work, how we have spiritual experiences            - there is no scientific grounds for explaining spiritual experiences supernaturally.
Part 2 Conclusions on Science Science has explanations of how the universe, the world, life, humans and humanity evolved. Science provides many of the reasons why things are as they are. ●       Science describes the basic nature of matter and energy, the nature of the earth and the life it supports, and our human nature. Science helps us to understand our sexuality, our drives, our personalities. It explains why we are sometimes courageous and sometimes stupid. It explains where good and evil come from, and it explains our sense of beauty and awe. ●       Science does not tell us what we should do. But no other method gives us such details or helps so much to decide what works and what doesn’t – to treat the sick, to save the planet, to do almost everything. ●       These explanations will be revised as scientists learn more. But they still provide a very good story, which will only be replaced by an even better story. ●       And science shows us the wonder of the universe, its majesty, power and mystery, its complexity, connectedness, unity, the oneness of the All.    more
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