Science

Science (from latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Wiki. See also SMART

Noam Chomsky believes that science is a good way to start understanding history and human affairs:

“I think studying science is a good way to get into fields like history. The reason is, you learn what an argument means, you learn what evidence is, you learn what makes sense to postulate and when, what's going to be convincing. You internalize the modes of rational inquiry, which happen to be much more advanced in the sciences than anywhere else. On the other hand, applying relativity theory to history isn't going to get you anywhere. So it's a mode of thinking”

Technology is a by product of science The prevalent use of much of our information technology today is being used to infringe our rights and invade the privacy of citizens by data farming of private information for corporate profiteering. through things like The Snoopers Charter, ie the interception of communications and data retention act. 

We could ask why the sciences and technology are not coming up with the promise of freeing us up from the bondage of work and making our lives a bit more easier and creative? Particularly when public taxes pay for much of the research. Why is technology developed in our universities privatised when it is successful and a public cost when it fails. Why do many working in the hard sciences seem incapable of transferring the same logic and peer to peer scrutiny to the social sciences? Because If you lie in the hard sciences your peers will soon find you out. In the social sciences you can lie to your back teeth and endlessly make it up as you go along. Hence Chomsky’s quote.

Science as a mode of thinking

Yet. Science like economics and politics is accessible to anybody. It can also be fun, enjoyable, creative and rewarding. 

The Technology is here to Stay and the only way to survive IT is to learn the science of it for greater public benefit and focused towards sustainable economic and ecological purposes. And help to keep hedge fund speculators out of social improvement projects and the sciences.

Add to this. The use of innovative technology in buildings and in our own homes for instance can be key to economic survival. But the self sufficient approach needs to be emphasised and encouraged by administrations as currently the process being used by authorities is to allow corporations to profit from what should be beneficial to the occupant. 

The Radical imagination will encourage the liberation of science and technology and understanding. We want to encourage Open Source in the communities and bring it to the people who need it most. And get the sciences out of the universities and art schools, and those who practice it to volunteer to help us. 

Sure we need solar power on the roofs of our houses and the government should encourage this. But the technology should be for the full benefit of the house below it. But not to contract householders to sell off their excess power from their panels to the national grid unless they keep the profits. This is just private companies using folks roofs to make profit.

There are other ways to do these things and they should be community led and monies should be used to encourage community innovation and learning in the sciences and technology. There are many novel and engaging ways to use our taxes and scientific knowledge. And if the objective is to save power, avoid waste, and increase awareness. We need to stop “business for profit” leading the tech revolution on our communities and plowing excess profits and energy back into creative community science development.

See our first "Opening The Source" stage project.