Thread: why science is complex

"Chemistry is created by myriad electromagnetic interactions among atoms and is incomparably more complex than physics. Biology is more complex than chemistry."

Is there a question here?

Originally Posted by Flick Montana

Is there a question here?

I don't really have a question. I just wanted to see what others think of the different branches of science and what makes one more interested in a particular branch of science over another. I took biology and chemistry classes because of my interest in genetics and human body. I took pharmacology because I wanted to understand how drugs affect the mind and human body. I am currently taking physics and astronomy because I want to learn about the origin of the universe.

But since the quote I posted says biology is more complex than chemistry and physics, what do you think it takes to overcome the obstacles in fully understanding biology (evolution and DNA)?

To what obstacles are you referring?

Well the answer is simple.

CRANKS and CRACKPOTS.....they make science complex. Do I need a citation for that?

Originally Posted by Flick Montana

To what obstacles are you referring?

I think she means the obstacles that would likely be created by complexity.

Edit: I see from thulium_gal's subsequent post that I got that completely wrong.

Originally Posted by Flick Montana

To what obstacles are you referring?

I think the problem why many people are ignorant of science is because their personal beliefs get in the way, not willing to accept scientific theories and what not, for instance.

Originally Posted by thulium_gal

Originally Posted by Flick Montana

To what obstacles are you referring?

I think the problem why many people are ignorant of science is because their personal beliefs get in the way, not willing to accept scientific theories and what not, for instance.

Sure, but that isn't really a science obstacle. You can lead a horse to water, as the saying goes.

I certainly think we need more impetus on science learning in school, but you have to fight against the people who think faith is more important (even though they couldn't go a day without using some of the many inventions we love so much that are based upon the scientific ideas they want to combat).

Exactly what Zinjan said. The popular perspective on science - that it's complex/hard by default - is a little misleading. Parsimony is one of the main tenets of science - no theory or experiment should be any more complex than it ought to be. That isn't to say science is never hard or complex... It certainly can be, but generally scientists aim to keep things as simple as they possibly can.

All sciences are equally complex. We'll never learn all there is to know, so scientists go as far as they can, until they get stuck. If the people in each field are equally smart, then they'll reach an equal level of complexity.

Originally Posted by Harold14370

All sciences are equally complex. We'll never learn all there is to know, so scientists go as far as they can, until they get stuck. If the people in each field are equally smart, then they'll reach an equal level of complexity.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Biology is far more complex than physics.

think of any organism, like humans, horses, ants, etc. and we all have different parts, systems, etc.

So physics really is the underlying forces of the universe, like gravity and such, chemisty is how these forces work as well as the basic elements, and life is made up of the elements in complex ways.

I'm not a biologist, chemist or physicist, but it figures, since life is just a complex mix of them all.