“Everywhere science is enriched by unscientific methods and unscientific results”

A few days ago, I posted an entry on this topic under the title “On “the most significant event in the history of life on Earth””:

“New fossils may capture the minutes after the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact:A North Dakota site appears to hold fish, other organisms swiftly buried in the strike’s wake”

And now for a small potpourri of additional interesting science-related articles:

“Crime solvers embraced genetic genealogy: The Golden State killer case was just the beginning”

“Greenland crater renewed the debate over an ancient climate mystery: Scientists disagree on what the find means for a controversial comet-impact hypothesis”

“Humans wiped out mosquitoes (in one small lab test): If we could eliminate a species, should we?”

“Metal asteroids may have once had iron-spewing volcanoes: An upcoming NASA mission could look for signs of past ‘ferrovolcanism’ on asteroid Psyche”

“Do humans have a ‘ghost’ ancestor? Artificial intelligence thinks so.”

“The first known fossil of a Denisovan skull has been found in a Siberian cave: DNA evidence hints that the hominids interbred with humans as recently as 15,000 years ago”

And what about possible extraterrestrial life?

“What If It’s Just Us?”

““Toffee Planets” Hint at Earth’s Cosmic Rarity: Exoplanets with stretchy, flowing rock may be bereft of plate tectonics—and of complex life”

“‘Zoo hypothesis’ may explain why we haven’t seen any space aliens: The hypothesis holds that they can see us, but we can’t see them.”

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One of the regular commenters on my blog is a devotee of scientism, and he routinely argues that only “science” can deliver real, reliable knowledge.  Here’s a relevant comment from one of the most famous philosophers of science of the twentieth century, who spent most of his career at the University of California at Berkeley:

Everywhere science is enriched by unscientific methods and unscientific results, . . . the separation of science and non-science is not only artificial but also detrimental to the advancement of knowledge.  If we want to understand nature, if we want to master our physical surroundings, then we must use all ideas, all methods, and not just a small selection of them.  (Paul K. Feyerabend, Austrian-American philosopher of science [1924-1994], in Against Method)

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Speaking of science, my wife surprised me, shortly after I was finished with classes today, by asking me whether I would like to go and see Captain Marvel.  It’s not exactly King Lear (my wife’s favorite Shakespearean play, in which she once played the role of Cordelia) or The Seventh Seal, nor even the immortal Groundhog Day (the greatest film ever made), but the movie was pleasantly enjoyable.