"Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science." Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Reader Warning: Thoughts about science by a scientist contained.)

The relationship between mathematics and science is remarkable.  Deep thinkers (Wigner) have wondered why mathematics is such an effective tool in science – and consequently technology.  When the mathematics in a successful theory (meaning it explains and can predict experimental results) makes a bizarre prediction – something that has not been subject to a laboratory test – that prediction is given great credence.

For me the best of many examples of this potency of mathematics was the result of a theory created by Paul Dirac in explaining the behavior of the electron (which had a characteristic not seen before).  He was successful in explaining a property  – for which no word existed but had some similarity to classical “spin” and thus that word was co-opted.   But Dirac’s theory made a bizarre prediction – something that had never been seen before.  It predicted an electron with the opposite electrical charge.  Needless to say that particle, the positron, was searched for and found and resulted in a Nobel prize for Carl Anderson.

Thus when mathematics speaks only a fool is deaf.

Mathematics predicts multiverses.  

Multiverses come in many flavors and those who are interested should “google” the subject.  But the relevant point about an alternative universe is that by definition they are separate from our own.  They are distinct.  Some universe flavors have different physical laws and some flavors are mere copies of our own.

But they are SEPARATE.  There is no way that we can interact with them by definition.  Hence there is no way we can experimentally test them to prove their existence or absence.  Yet mathematics states they are there.  Many scientists have faith and believe that they exist.  Many claim that since you can’t experimentally verify it, it’s not science but closer to religion.

Religion is based on faith and belief – not mathematical proof.

Science is based on mathematics and experimental verification.

I claim we need a third noun.  A field of scientific study based on and consistent with mathematics and makes predictions which can never be proven or disproven.

I modestly propose the word Stience

© 2014 Lester C. Welch