Whats the point of modern science?

[Kayenneh]

The point? Curiosity to battle stagnation, knowledge to beat ignorance and magic to become reality.

[Ryantology]

It's a sad indictment of our science education as a whole that a question like this is posed seriously.

[Zen Badger]

Don't mean to sound trollish- may come off that way, but I'm posting in good faith.

My question is, what is the point of the new sciences like astrophysics, quantum physics, etc. when the discoveries the research yields are so arcane that it doesn't even matter to anyone or change anything or help anyone?

I'm gonna pay for that, aren't I...

He ask as he types on his computer....

The irony can be almost too much sometimes.

[pocaracas]

He ask as he types on his computer....

The irony can be almost too much sometimes.

Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.

[The_Thinking_Theist]

He probably thinks they were "created."

Shove off, asshole. I'm not a Christian you assuming fuck.

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The point? Curiosity to battle stagnation, knowledge to beat ignorance and magic to become reality.

That was righteous!

---

He ask as he types on his computer....

The irony can be almost too much sometimes.

Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.

Well, I expected more of this:

---

Don't mean to sound trollish- may come off that way, but I'm posting in good faith.

My question is, what is the point of the new sciences like astrophysics, quantum physics, etc. when the discoveries the research yields are so arcane that it doesn't even matter to anyone or change anything or help anyone?

I'm gonna pay for that, aren't I...

Science is built like a pyramid. The foundation is basic science / research, which investigates fundamental questions of the universe and physics; on top of that is applied science, using the theoretical underpinnings discovered by basic science to investigate "nature as she is"; on top of that comes engineering and technology, being the use of the findings of applied science to construct useful things, such as medicine, bridges, and computers.

Some of the more arcane findings have to do with probing the basic laws of the universe, so that we can investigate extrapolations of them in the fields of applied science. Three prominent ways of doing so are cosmology / astrophysics, research using accelerators or other tools which explore the properties of matter at extremes, and quantum physics. The reason for cosmology and astrophysics is, the universe as a whole acts as something of a giant magnifying glass for the basic properties of "stuff" and matter. By knowing how much stuff exists, what kind, and how that totality of stuff has unfolded throughout the history of the universe, we can reverse-engineer what must be true of all the stuff in the universe, from the small to the big. As to particle accelerators, when the universe was young, because it occupied a small space at extreme energies relative to now, matter behaved differently than it does now; only by raising matter to those energies can we determine how it behaved back then, and similar to before, we can reason backward to find novel behaviors of matter at current energies which we aren't currently aware of. Quantum physics has obvious use to applied physics, but one nuance is not obvious, that being that the equations which describe the behavior of matter at this scale reveals unexpected and counter-intuitive behaviors. By getting a more accurate picture of the actual mathematical description of the behavior, we're able to reveal novel properties of matter which are, effectively, hiding in plain sight.

All three basic sciences contribute a base of knowledge for applied science. Applied science refines that base into specific examples of the behavior of our universe. The bounty produced by applied science is used by engineers and other technologists to create technology which improves our quality of life in multiple ways, from helping us live longer, healthier lives and lowering our mortality rate, to getting the most benefit from the resources our environment has to offer, to allowing us to live lives filled with material goods, near instantaneous global communication, and access to storehouses of knowledge and wisdom undreamed of by prior generations.

So, in short, we pursue basic research because, ultimately, it helps us lead better lives.

Applied science... now how would we apply some science that we discover today?

[pineapplebunnybounce]

Someone apparently missed the point.

[Zen Badger]

Ok, I'll play along.

When the laser was invented back in the 60's it had no practical application at all.

Now it has thousands of uses.

Just because you can't envision the use of abstract science in the now doesn't mean practical use for it won't be discovered later.

[arewethereyet]

At least a dozen sock puppets elsewhere is evidently not enough entertainment for TTT.

[pineapplebunnybounce]

Do you honestly think that your failure to come up with ideas of how to utilize the latest findings in research is sufficient enough reason to declare that there is no point to entire fields of scientific study?

Do you even understand what is being discovered and the implications of those discovery?

And when you say recent, there will be new discoveries being churned out every single day, reasonable people don't expect applications to pop into existence as these findings are revealed. So at any point in time, there will be a lot of research for which no one has tried to incorporate into some practical application. That is a sign of progress not stagnation.

The MRI machine couldn't have come into being without the periodic table, atomic theories, magnetism, electricity, medical science, imaging technology, computing technology, etc. etc. The amount of scientific research that went into the building of that one machine spans centuries. And let's not forget for every successful discovery there probably was about 40 failed experiments. All of that culminates into a diagnostic machine that serves to extend our lives. The dude who was painstakingly coming up with atomic theories and testing them did not foresee that. But he contributed to it. That's how science works, it doesn't rely on prophecies, it relies on honest work. That's what Newton meant when he said he was "standing on the shoulders of giants". Even scientific discovery is dependent upon previous discoveries, we learn from others' mistakes, even the mistakes are helpful in this huge endeavour to discover more about the world. I'm sorry but I don't know how else to say this, but throwing away knowledge or discounting it and discounting the hard work that came with it just because it doesn't benefit you RIGHT NOW, is just extremely foolish.

[pocaracas]

For someone who claims to be thinking... you seem to miss a few points.

Present day computers rely heavily on nanoscale transistors. These work thanks to the fact that quantum mechanics is correct... And it was through the use of quantum physics that such transistors were invented.

Then you have something many homes are now equipped with, the smoke alarm. It uses an element discovered in the 40s (if my memory serves me right) called Americium. It's discovery is also thanks to quantum physics.

What dies the future hold considering the discoveries of today? Just wait and see.