Chemistry and human awareness

Neil E. Schore

pp. 437-460

in: Rolf von Eckartsberg (ed), Metaphors of consciousness, Berlin, Springer, 1981

Abstract

Chemistry? Chemistry and human awareness? A curious combination, especially in light of the oft-expressed public perception that science is somehow fundamentally unnatural or "anti-human." Certainly the application of scientific knowledge in hasty or ill-considered ways has fostered this attitude. Concerns over the use and misuse of scientific knowledge in the development of new technology have led to much discussion among scientists themselves. Such discussions will no doubt continue as the interrelationships between science, technology, and society in general are continually redefined in an attempt to derive the greatest mutual benefit from these relationships. Here, however, we look at the science itself: science as a field, as a human endeavor, as a mechanism by which one may investigate and interact with one's environment.