Yep. And I do believe that Niels Bohr saw it that way, too. But Bohr added a fascinating fillip: If a scientific discovery could not be articulated in common language such that even a non-scientist could understand it, then science has not fulfilled its obligation to society, with the implication that quite possibly the final test of the worthiness of a scientific theory has not been met.
Bohr's ideas are so worthy of further study. I mean to pursue that, in due course, with a little help from my friends. :^)
Thanks so much for writing, YHAOS!
I find the idea that a scientific discovery may not have fulfilled its obligation to society, unless it can be stated in a language understandable by even non-scientists to be an interesting statment...but I am not certain that I would actually agree with it....
There is so much in science, which I am sure, that I do not understand, and probably will never understand...I dont have the scientific training, nor the scientific education, to be able to understand most of what is involved in scientific discoveries...
I make attempts, to understand certain things within science, by reading books and articles related to a particular scientific subject, and sometimes I come away, not really understanding much of what I read...and I am not sure, that there is a requirement for me to necessarily understand something scientific, tho I can appreciate the outcomes of many scientific discoveries without understanding the underlying mechanisms...
For instance, I am currently interested in studying the changes of treatments in a particular type of leukemia, and how and why this change has occured, due to scientific discoveries concerning this leukemia...I have endeavored to read as much as I can about this, and tho I do not understand all the mechanisms that are in play, concerning, this discovery, still, what I appreciate are the positive results that have occurred, to those who suffer with this particular type of leukemia...and I am sure, that most of these ill people, care not one whit, about understanding the mechanisms of how this scientific discovery work, but rather are just glad that they have a greater chance of being cured...to me, the worthiness of this particular scientific discovery, is not in understanding it, but rather in how it has a positive result on society...and thus it would fullfill its obligation to a society, by providing better medical care...
It would be wonderful if we all could understand all scientific discoveries and theories, but I do wonder, if that is realistic...I mean, can all scientific discoveries, and theories be put into language so that even non-scientists can understand?....I really dont know...but I am more concerned on the impact of a scientific discovery, or scientific theory, as opposed to necessarily understanding completely all the mechanisms involved...