Is science the only way to knowledge?

[Zazzy]

Dramatic much?

Always.

I like you, Creed. You are a breath of fresh air.

Just because Vinnie The Amazing Obfuscationist asked the question didn't annoy me, it was the fact it was annoyingly vague that...well, annoyed me.

But it has generated much useful discussion.

Now, while that is poignant, and believe me when I say I am very, very glad you are getting over your friend's death (not something easy to do), it still doesn't change the fact that this is technically science. You did not know you were getting over it before, but then you realized you were after you had finished listening to the symphony. This, too, is a form of science, albeit unknowingly so. You didn't KNOW you were testing yourself, but in a sense you were.

Sigh. If you are going to define science as achieving any knowledge at all in any way, even if that knowledge smacks you out of the blue (I swear, those gentle opening bars that I had not heard in years just punched me in the chest and sat my ass down), then the game is rigged and your point is made. But if you think science is a process of exploration, then I think my experience muddies those waters.

You avoided the song because it used to remind you of your friend, but when it came on this time, you tested yourself to listen through it.

It hijacked me. And the point is I didn't have to test myself- it happened to me. It was like being taken hostage and then realizing that your captor is feeding you chocolate mousse and then sending you home.

The end result is the knowledge that you were getting over it. This is, by definition, science. Doesn't mean it's any less poignant.

I'll think about your interpretation of my experience, Creed. It's worth re-examining under your light.