Certainty in Mathematics and Science

1451 Words6 Pages
On the surface, mathematics and natural sciences appear to be the two areas of knowledge most likely to yield absolute certainty. People often assume claims backed by scientific knowledge must be correct. When I encouraged a young friend to have an orange as Vitamin C is healthy, she balked. However, when I pointed out that numerous scientific experiments back up my claim and Vitamin C is necessary to the formation of collagen, she appeared swayed by the scientific evidence. Math is connected with reasoning, which seems to suggest that the proofs of math are as certain as if A=B and B=C then A=C. Both natural science and math are backed by numbers, making them seem more precise than ethics. However, as evidenced by the advent of chaos theory, fuzzy logic and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, the more that is learned about both areas of knowledge, the clearer it becomes that ambiguity and uncertainty are prevalent. For a multitude of reasons relating to perception and precision, it will be difficult for science to achieve complete certainty. In mathematics, this may be possible in elementary arithmetic, but beyond that, mathematics appears similarly uncertain. Perception is a major problem in science. Scientific experiments are based on empirical evidence, which usually requires perception. A biologist trying to differentiate between a Javan and an Indian Rhinoceros[1] would rely on visual differences such as size and skin texture. Although perception becomes more reliable through experience and training, Javan rhinoceroses are amongst the rarest large mammals in the world[2] and the scientist could mistake the pattern or colour of the skin, confusing one species for another. Perception is necessary even in situations where the scientist bases data on technology such as the Geiger counter rather than relying on direct observation. It is possible to misread the
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