D'Abrera on Science and Philosophy

[Michael Gochfeld]

J. Hanlon wrote: 
"To sum it up, I guess D'Abrera is saying that science can not and 
should not vainly think that it can explain everything, but I am 
particularly interest."

Try telling that to a molecular biologist who thinks that tissue culture 
is "in vivo". 

Along the same lines I was struck by the title of a 1920's physiology 
text "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made". I don't remember whether I got to 
open the book or whether it was decent physiology, but the title 
reflected that author's wonderment and confusion. 

I have recently been asking biochemists and molecular biologists whether 
they anticipate that in the next 25 years science will unpeel the same 
number of levels of complexity that have been "revealed" by molecular 
genetics and cell biology research over the past 25 years.  The answer 
has been uniformly "yes" which means they feel (their words) that "we 
are no closer to understanding the mystery of life" than we were then 
(25 years ago).  But they have more rather than less optimism about what 
research at these levels will unfold.  Whether it will ever explain the 
butterfly wing pattern is another matter. 

M. Gochfeld