First, I thank my friend, Paul Giller, for recommending to me the GREAT work of Thomas Paine, entitled: 'THE AGE OF REASON.' FOLLOWING AND AT THE END OF THIS NOTE IS A LINK TO THE AUDIO OF THE BOOK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycgkogD7Jw4
THE EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE, which etymologically means "re-birth," was a cultural movement that spanned the period roughly from the 14th to the 17th century. It began in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.
THE AGE OF REASON is a cultural movement of intellectuals beginning in late 17th-century Europe emphasizing REASON and INDIVIDUALISM rather than tradition. Its purpose is to reform society using REASON, to challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and to advance knowledge through THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge.
To be termed SCIENTIFIC, a method of inquiry must be based on EMPIRICAL and MEASURABLE EVIDENCE subject to SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES OF REASONING.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD as "a method or procedure that has characterized NATURAL SCIENCE since the 17th century, consisting in SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATION, MEASUREMENT, and the formulation, testing, and modification of HYPOTHESES."
The chief characteristic which distinguishes the scientific method from other methods of acquiring knowledge is that SCIENTISTS SEEK TO LET REALITY SPEAK FOR ITSELF, supporting a theory when a theory's predictions are confirmed and challenging a theory when its predictions prove false.
Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, identifiable features distinguish scientific inquiry from other methods of obtaining knowledge.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS propose hypotheses as explanations of phenomena and design experimental studies to test these hypotheses via predictions which can be derived from them.
These steps MUST BE REPEATABLE to guard against mistake or confusion in any particular experimenter.
Theories that encompass wider domains of inquiry may bind many independently derived hypotheses together in a coherent, supportive structure. Theories, in turn, may help form new hypotheses or place groups of hypotheses into context.
Scientific inquiry is intended to be as OBJECTIVE as possible in order to minimize bias.
Another basic expectation is the DOCUMENTATION, ARCHIVING, and SHARING of ALL DATA COLLECTED OR PRODUCED of the METHODOLOGIES used so they may be available for CAREFUL SCRUTINY and attempts by other scientists to REPRODUCE and VERIFY. This practice, known as FULL DISCLOSURE, also means that STATISTICAL MEASURE OF THEIR RELIABILITY may be made.
We are over three centuries within THE AGE OF REASON yet the masses of even Western Civilization generally use NAIVE REALISM (a.k.a. COMMON SENSE) to make decisions; still others use some form of SUPERSTITION. It is only a relatively small elite group of intellectuals who actually use THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD of discovery even though many professionals and technologists use information discovered by scientists using THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD.
SCIENCE continuously strives to discover NATURAL LAWS and PRINCIPLES THAT ARE INTELLIGIBLE AND SELF-CONSISTENT.
But, the NAIVE REALIST evidently takes the report of his or her senses as THE TRUTH.
The problem with NAIVE REALISM is that THE SAME THING MAY APPEAR TO THE SENSES TO BE DIFFERENT UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.
Indeed, NO TRUSTWORTHY DECISION IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT RECOURSE TO SCIENCE.
The objections to naive realism are so fundamental that the position must be abandoned, as it is by everyone who accepts physics and chemistry.
TO PROGRESS BEYOND RUDIMENTARY LEVELS IN ANY PURSUIT OF ADVANCEMENT; NAIVE REALISM MUST GIVE WAY TO SCIENCE.
The SCIENCES have found that the only way to manage physical things is to EXPERIMENT with them, and FORMULATE HYPOTHESES about the LAWS of their structure and behavior.
A HYPOTHESIS is said to be verified when the facts occur as the hypothesis PREDICTS.
VERIFICATION becomes more cogent when the hypothesis has MATHEMATICAL form.
If it is true that only scholars will be ENLIGHTENED during this AGE OF REASON, then HUMANITY NEEDS MANY MORE ENLIGHTENED SCHOLARS IN ORDER TO ASCEND TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF HUMANENESS AND ACCURATE THINKING.
NOTE: The following video is a reading of a GREAT book, entitled 'THE AGE OF REASON,' by a GREAT THINKER, Thomas Paine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycgkogD7Jw4
