It is not just science. The old language and thinking about virtue and human principles matters, too. We can think about the future and about our interests, desires, goals and fears but we can't weigh them or do much to experiment with our hours and days. If you read Plato's dialogues featuring his version of Socrates's conversation with his friends, you can come across ideas of reasoning and of using one's experiences and judgment but you don't find the words "experiment" or "data" or other terms related to the notion of science and modern objective analysis.
It is true that we often associate the modern scientific approach with Copernicus (born 1473) , Galileo (born 1564) and Sir Francis Bacon (born 1561). Us older citizens feel that one hundred years is roughly a lifetime and we realize that all of human history is not all that old. So roughly 500 years for science is a rather short time. Besides that short interval, there is another very good reason, the ancients didn't latch much onto data gathering and randomized blind trials. They were interested in one's own human life. Even your brother and sister are not actually you, despite the fact that you all had the same parents. At bottom, "YOLO" - you only live once and that one form of this life is yours alone, not your partner's or your siblings or your neighbors.
Anything unique, unrepeatable is not a good candidate for science and comparison. There is no comparison. Psychology and individual therapy do the best they can to be sensitive to what are likely trends in your life but there is no other you. Even your siblings and classmates and other age mates diverge more and more from your experiences as time goes by. The Rutgers philosopher Ruth Chang has a TED talk that reminded me of the sides of human life that are not scientific and probably can never be. It is not common language in today's America, but words like "duty", "virtue", "civility", "manners", "respect" and simple mental "reflection" and thought still apply and still matter, in today's age as well as the others.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
