Limitations of Science

In our Thursday discussion group, we considered the stereotypes and generalizations associated with scientific studies vs. areas within humanities. We came to the conclusion that science connotes ideas of the future, of progress, and positivity. On the other hand, humanities often seems static, “tragic”, and stuck in the past. Nevertheless, as an English major, I was grateful when my classmates argued in defense of my interests. In combination with their thoughts, I’ve come to see story-writing as a limitless, eternal opportunity for creativity, communication, and catharsis. Because science is reliant on the strength and dependability of the stories created to support observations, scientists, medicine, and technology are constantly working to reach goals, rather than surpassing them at any point. Naturally, it is clear that scientific research saves lives while novels do not, but in the debate between the strengths of the opposing fields, it is important to take into account the fact that science is constantly trying to reach goals while humanities can create things that don’t even exist. You can always build further and make new changes while science is limited by the stories that have been formed thus far. Only in writing, reading, and storytelling, can we extend outside of our own realm of stories and preconceived notions.