Science Vs Technology
We are engineers ! And we can only apply the theories to practical applications. We can not develop theories. Why am I thinking all this now ?! Do I want to develop theories ?! Yes I want to, but I conclude that I can't !
It takes hell a lot of patience and perseverance to develop theories because the chances of failure a way higher than those in applying a theory at some application and not getting results !
I quote Dr Mashelkar's statement here "One must understand that manufacturing and S&T are two different endeavours, culturally and operationally. In manufacturing, we look for zero defects and no failures, whereas in science, there is a fundamental right to fail."
But then it pays that well...to be in Science. Look at Einstein !
Again a statement made by Prof Mashelkar
Science is an exploration of the nature of reality, both inside and outside us. The emphasis here is on things, which are quantifiable and measurable and on theories, which can be tested and demonstrated and facts, which can be observed and verified by others. Imagination plays a vital part in both science and art, but in science it has certain constraints. As Feynman has said, ‘whatever we are allowed to imagine in science has to be consistent with everything else that we know. The problem of creating something which is new, but which is consistent with everything which has been seen before, is one of extreme difficulty’. At the same time, the difficulty with science is often not with the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones. A certain amount of irreverence is essential for creative pursuit in science. I believe that if we promote that irreverence in Indian science, by change of personal attitudes, change of funding patterns, creating new organizational values, creating that extra space for risk taking, respecting the occasional mavericks and rewarding the risk takers, then not only will the fun & joy of doing science will increase, but also Indian science will make that difference, that “much awaited” difference.
~ R
It takes hell a lot of patience and perseverance to develop theories because the chances of failure a way higher than those in applying a theory at some application and not getting results !
I quote Dr Mashelkar's statement here "One must understand that manufacturing and S&T are two different endeavours, culturally and operationally. In manufacturing, we look for zero defects and no failures, whereas in science, there is a fundamental right to fail."
But then it pays that well...to be in Science. Look at Einstein !
Again a statement made by Prof Mashelkar
Science is an exploration of the nature of reality, both inside and outside us. The emphasis here is on things, which are quantifiable and measurable and on theories, which can be tested and demonstrated and facts, which can be observed and verified by others. Imagination plays a vital part in both science and art, but in science it has certain constraints. As Feynman has said, ‘whatever we are allowed to imagine in science has to be consistent with everything else that we know. The problem of creating something which is new, but which is consistent with everything which has been seen before, is one of extreme difficulty’. At the same time, the difficulty with science is often not with the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones. A certain amount of irreverence is essential for creative pursuit in science. I believe that if we promote that irreverence in Indian science, by change of personal attitudes, change of funding patterns, creating new organizational values, creating that extra space for risk taking, respecting the occasional mavericks and rewarding the risk takers, then not only will the fun & joy of doing science will increase, but also Indian science will make that difference, that “much awaited” difference.
~ R
posted by Rohit Malshe at 1:48 AM
1 Comments:
Bhaiya, i have become a fan of your writing. Keep the good literature going. Take care.
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