Science is meaningless.

Don’t get me wrong, I love science–a systematic method to discover facts. I love technology–the useful application of new discoveries. I work in IT and I was a pre-med student in college. This is not me disrespecting science; it’s about fostering a proper understanding of meaning.

Science is meaningless until it is given meaning by a conscious observer.

Here’s the thing: science is at heart a systematic process of fact-checking. The scientific method is about making a guess about the world and then creating a series of tests that can confirm or disprove this hypothesis. It does not tell you what to do with the facts you discover. It does not tell you anything about the value of your discovery.

And facts are what science discovers–not truth. In order for facts to become truth they have to matter to someone. They have to make an impact on a real meaning-making person. Truth and meaning happen at the intersection of consciousness and the experience of the world. Without consciousness truth is just fact; without culture, fact is meaningless.

Why does this matter? The point is that culture trumps fact. There are many ways to put value onto facts and to make meaning out of discoveries. Not everyone does it the same, nor should everyone do it the same. Cultures can have multiple valid and true interpretation of facts. Science doesn’t care because science cannot care.

This is important for living and communicating with people who disagree with us. Some try to shut down conversation by saying “Science says this.” While their facts may be right, their meaning is subjective. All meaning is subjective–that’s what makes it meaning.

Is this true? Am I misinterpreting the facts? What would science say about this? Does it even matter? Let me know in the comments what you think.