Post by Kiwi Frontline on Oct 31, 2022 10:05:11 GMT 12
M S writes > MAORI SCIENCE. I have watched this interminably stupid debate. Here is my synthesis that should make things abundantly clear.
My iwi mate and i are walking the track. We come across a log on the side of the river bed. We push the log into the water. We observe it floats. After repeating this with a random selection of branches and various size logs we observe the same outcome. We have now acquired KNOWLEDGE.
The SCIENCE of why the observed object floats is provided by Archimedes: the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces. A fundamental of the area of physics called fluid dynamics.
This is not to argue that Maori knowledge is not invaluable. There must be a treasure trove of potentially naturally healing recipes. But knowing that a poultice works "KNOWLEDGE" is not the same as understanding why it works "SCIENCE".
It disturbs me that our supposedly rigorously tested academics do not understand the difference between knowledge and science.
My iwi mate and i are walking the track. We come across a log on the side of the river bed. We push the log into the water. We observe it floats. After repeating this with a random selection of branches and various size logs we observe the same outcome. We have now acquired KNOWLEDGE.
The SCIENCE of why the observed object floats is provided by Archimedes: the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces. A fundamental of the area of physics called fluid dynamics.
This is not to argue that Maori knowledge is not invaluable. There must be a treasure trove of potentially naturally healing recipes. But knowing that a poultice works "KNOWLEDGE" is not the same as understanding why it works "SCIENCE".
It disturbs me that our supposedly rigorously tested academics do not understand the difference between knowledge and science.