The Betrayed Promise of Science
We often hear that science helps us understand the world, but in practice, modern science frequently betrays this promise. Rather than grounding itself in directly observable patterns, it relies heavily on abstract metaphysical constructs: matter as substance, emergence, and unverifiable claims about inherent “tendencies” of matter to evolve.
Fields like quantum mechanics illustrate this clearly: while their mathematical models predict with phenomenal precision, they are opaque to intuition and often detach explanation from any clear experiential basis. What emerges is not true understanding, but a layer of abstraction that confuses description for reality.
Worse still, modern science resembles an overfit model:
It predicts with dazzling accuracy within narrowly defined setups but loses its power to generalize or provide genuine clarity.
In this sense, science no longer reliably deepens our understanding. A more honest statement would be:
Modern science seeks to describe — and at best, to predict — but often fails to illuminate. At worst, it becomes a game of mathematical formalism detached from lived experience.
A true philosophy of explanation must remain anchored in experience — describing patterns, clarifying processes, and uncovering the conflicts that drive change — never allowing abstraction to masquerade as understanding.
