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Week 1 Reaction

bhealy's picture

 I feel like this first week of class helped me to see how science as a whole is not as stiff or fixed as I often make it out to be. I have always been more interested in my english classes than my science classes, and  I love experiencing and interpreting other people's stories. To me, science has always seemed so distant, so unapproachable, especially compared to my beloved literature, which I found myself able to jump into. However, in class on Thursday, through our discussion on how a lot of science (like the sun rising) is not considered true, but instead probable, I found that I was given a new outlook on science. The idea that evolution is not considered true, but instead a really good story that could be either true or false, caused me to really think about all of the scientific claims that I hear and all of the arguments/discussions that are going on in the world of science between different-minded scientists. For whatever reason, referring to scientific claims and controversial subjects as potentially true stories has opened my mind. Additionally, I loved the emphasis on the scientific method, and how it is not the linear, clear-cut set of steps that we learned in elementary school. Again, hearing that science is not a linear process that yields solutions but instead a looping process that yields stories, I find myself a bit more optimistic about my relationship with science. After all of these years getting through my science classes but not truly enjoying them, I feel that it is my duty to try to change my experience this semester. If I have always been captivated by stories, and hopefully the stories of science will take on new meanings for me now. 

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