To what extent can we rely on our subjective consciousness? | Teen Ink

To what extent can we rely on our subjective consciousness?

May 24, 2024
By IrisZhang1234 GOLD, Beijing, Other
IrisZhang1234 GOLD, Beijing, Other
10 articles 0 photos 0 comments

In the process of seeking knowledge, to what extent can we rely on our subjective consciousness? While we often depend on our subjective thoughts to interpret, judge, and understand the world, especially in the field of natural sciences, it's crucial to reflect on how much we should trust our subjective consciousness. Natural sciences emphasize objectivity and verifiability, yet our individual subjective consciousness is influenced by personal experiences, emotions, and preferences. Therefore, it's essential to carefully consider how to strike a balance between personal subjective consciousness and scientific methods to ensure that our cognition and judgments are as accurate and reliable as possible.

We should rely to a lesser extent on our subjective judgments and more on objective facts and scientific methods in the process of seeking knowledge. Natural sciences provide an objective framework to help us interpret and understand the world, such as through experiments and observations that yield reliable conclusions about natural phenomena. By relying on scientific methods and objective facts, rather than solely on subjective consciousness, we can acquire knowledge more accurately and reliably. For instance, through advanced fluorescence imaging and electron microscopy, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, observed the process of photosynthesis in plant leaves. These experiments demonstrated the objectivity and verifiability of photosynthesis, enabling us to better understand and trust this biological process. Therefore, by relying on scientific methods and objective facts, we can obtain knowledge more accurately and reliably.

However, subjective consciousness is necessary and useful in some situations, as it can provide unique insights and creative thinking, as well as new perspectives and viewpoints that may not have been explored or confirmed by scientific methods. For example, in the early stages of scientific research, scientists may rely on their intuition and imagination to propose new hypotheses and theories. In such cases, subjective consciousness can inspire creative thinking and drive the advancement of knowledge. For instance, Charles Darwin's observations during his voyage on the HMS Beagle, where he discovered variations and adaptive traits among species on the Galápagos Islands, inspired his thoughts on natural selection and species evolution. Darwin's observations and reasoning, although not based on rigorous scientific experiments, laid the foundation for the initial proposal of the theory of evolution. His subjective consciousness and imagination led him to propose the hypothesis of evolution, which was a bold and novel idea at the time. We can support the theory of evolution through Darwin's detailed observations and reasoning in "On the Origin of Species," as well as subsequent evidence from genetics and paleontology. These examples illustrate the role of subjective consciousness in scientific research and how subsequent empirical research can validate and confirm these theories. Through such citations and detailed descriptions, we can more clearly demonstrate the importance of subjective consciousness in scientific research and how it promotes new thinking and theories, thereby advancing knowledge.

Despite providing unique insights and creative thinking in some situations, subjective consciousness may also lead to personal biases and erroneous perceptions. In scientific research, researchers' personal emotions and preferences may influence experimental design, data interpretation, and conclusion inference, thereby affecting the objectivity and reliability of the research. For example, some studies may be influenced by the interests of funders or by researchers' personal beliefs and values, resulting in inaccurate and unreliable results. Therefore, we need to be vigilant against the misleading and biased effects of subjective consciousness, and rely as much as possible on objective facts and scientific methods to obtain true and reliable knowledge. Natural sciences provide an objective framework through which we can better understand the world and make accurate judgments and inferences. Therefore, in the process of seeking knowledge, we should maintain a cautious and critical attitude, while also holding an open mind to accept new viewpoints and insights.


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