Logic, methodology and philosophy of science VIII proceedings of the eighth international congress of logic, methodology and philosophy of science, and philosophy of science proceedings) ( PDFDrive ) 94

IS THERE ANYTHING WE SHOULD NOT WANT TO KNOW? 75 An Aristotelian view of the goals of science When pondering upon man’s desire for knowledge and whether the search for new knowledge should go on without restrictions, one may relate it to the more general question of what is the ultimate goal of all man’s activities One popular answer to this eternal problem is that man wants to achieve happiness If we take happiness in the utilitarian sense and try to apply this idea to the goals of scientific research, I believe the result would be something quite different from what we actually see Probably research would be directed, to a large extent, towards developing a harmless drug that would make us all feel constantly happy Even if my prediction concerning the aims of a utilitarian science is totally wrong, I not believe that the overriding goal of scientific research is to maximize happiness in the utilitarian sense For an alternative view, I would like to return to Aristotle and his writings on the goals of man According to the Nicornachean Ethics, happiness does not lie in amusements or bodily pleasures but in virtuous activities Aristotle’s basic conception of human activity is that a person who does not exercise his faculties to their fullest capacities, be it in art, politics, or science, is not being realized fully as a human being Happiness is activity in accordance with virtue and the highest virtue is the contemplative activity (1177“ 10-19) Furthermore, he sees contemplation as an activity desired in itself, not for the sake of something e1~e.l~ What is important here is that Aristotle recognizes a natural hierarchy of faculties, where reason is the most superior, and that happiness, what man strives for, must consist of activities that fully use our faculties “ therefore, the life according to reason is best and pleasantest, since reason more than anything is man” (1178” 6-7) The quest for knowledge is a part of human nature that should not be denied This desire to know is an end in itself.16 15‘‘ the activity of reason, which is Contemplative, seems both to be superior in serious worth and to aim at no end beyond itself (and this augments the activity) ” (1177b 18-20) “ This will be the complete happiness of man, if it be allowed a complete term of life ” (1177b 23-24) 16 In Metaphysics Aristotle writes: they philosophized in order to escape from ignorance, evidently they were pursuing science in order to know, and not for any utilitarian end And this is confirmed by the facts; for it was when almost all the necessities of life and the things that make for comfort and recreation had been secured, that such knowledge began to be sought Evidently then we not seek it for the sake of any other advantage; but as the man is free, we say, who exists for his own sake and not for another’s, so we pursue this as the only free science, for it alone exists for its own sake” (982b 20-28) ‘I