A Unification of Scientific Knowledge


All branches of science are different means of studying the universe along different points on the same spectrum. Physics, chemistry, biology, evolutionary psychology, social psychology, anthropology, ecology and all other fields of science are divided in ways that make it easier for us to study them and more comprehensible for us to understand. Atomic physics is not separate from chemistry just as chemistry is not separate from biology; both fields study atoms but on two different scales. Science is our best tool for understanding how the universe works. Therefore the grand synthesis of understanding the universe requires a unification of scientific knowledge.

Unifying the Scientific Disciplines

Connecting physics to chemistry to biology

Making all the connections for adjacent fields of science is easier for some fields and more difficult for others. Atomic physics studies electrons as they move around the nucleus of an atom and what happens as a result. Chemistry studies how atoms interact with other atoms by forming and breaking bonds and what happens as a result. The jump from chemistry to biology is more difficult to make due to the immense magnitude of the billions of chemical reactions happening within a biological organism, but can be made easier to understand by organizing the information into subfields such as biochemistry. But no matter how you look at it, all of biology is still grounded in chemistry.  Biology studies how certain chemicals organize and interact with each other to make life happen. Evolutionary biology studies how chemicals got into the specific arrangements that make life possible and how those arrangements change over time.

A Unification of Scientific Knowledge
A Unification of the Scientific Branches of Knowledge

Making the jump from biology to psychology and ecology

The same connections can be done for all other fields of science. The jump from biology to evolutionary psychology is probably the most difficult because that depends on understanding how the brain creates thoughts, feelings, urges, desires and so on. That does not mean the jump is impossible to make, it just means it’s difficult for some people to understand how the jump can be made. Evolutionary psychology studies how the mind works and the mind is the product of the brain, which is a biological organ. The brain was created by genes, which are units of chemistry all composed entirely of atoms. There has never been a single function or property of the brain observed or discovered that did not obey well established laws of chemistry. It is just that there are so many combinations of complicated chemical reactions happening inside the brain that trying to understand the functioning of the brain in terms of chemistry makes the task impossible for us. A person would die of old age before he could map out a chemical formula for the brain, and even if it was possible to do so it would be completely worthless since nobody else would be able to use it or understand what it meant or how it worked.

All human behavior is a function of the design of human brains. As a social species, we are constantly interacting with each other in the ongoing struggle for survival and reproduction. Social psychology studies how brains and minds of humans interact with other brains and minds while in groups. We share this planet with not only humans but with all other species. Ecology studies how groups of biological organisms interact with themselves and their environment. Ultimately, every field of science is just a specialized field of atomic physics.  The trick to a unification of scientific knowledge is using first principles to connect and make fluid transitions between adjacent scientific fields, and then build up a body of information from there. The goal of this web site is to connect the disparate fields of science and use that knowledge and information in improving our own lives and society.

Further reading: Consilience by E.O. Wilson

Comments

  1. Huda says:

    This is probably the most interesting piece ive read all week. Definitely got me curious! Ive subscribed to your blog 🙂

  2. Stephanie says:

    I never thought about how all of the different branches of science are connected. But I guess, since they are called branches, they belong to the same tree. It’s fun to see how they are all tied to each other.

  3. Megan says:

    Very interesting and thought provoking. Thank you for sharing in a way that anyone can understand.

  4. Alexandra says:

    I’ve never been a science girl, but this post I actually found very interesting! Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge with all of us!

  5. Courthey says:

    Ooooo now this is one interesting topic! It’s crazy how different things can be yet totally relate to one another

  6. Janell says:

    I find it interesting that we focus so often on dividing science that we forget how connected we really are . . . of the same tree. Thanks for the revelation!

  7. Marjie Mare says:

    This is a very interesting and thought-provoking post and I appreciate that you shared with us. The funny thing, I am reading a book by Dr. Pemberton where he’s explaining that we are all connected and now I am making a parallel with your post.

  8. Bree says:

    This is definitely interesting, and makes sense. My sister is a science major and I hear here telling me similar ideas!

  9. Geraline Batarra says:

    Was it really true that the human behavior is a function of the design of human brain..? 😂So this will be my excuse of being a forgetful person.. Haha

  10. Alexandra Cook says:

    Such an informative and interesting post. I love science so much. I really enjoyed reading this.

  11. Mudpie Fridays says:

    Great post, I really enjoyed reading this, so informative, I really loved science and this gives me something new to learn.

  12. Sandra says:

    Excellent synopsis! Unfortunately, I see a lot of silos in the scientific world. Researchers get so ingrained in their field of study, they can lose sight of how their area interacts with others. This is especially true when trying to integrate more existential aspects such as psychology and human reactions.

  13. twinspirational says:

    This makes perfect sense.. I really love reading anything about science.. And I love the way you write things. It’s entertaining.

  14. Elizabeth O says:

    Science can be an engaging subject, and facets of it is pretty mindblowing. When we think about the human body alone, and how it functions with a keen intelligence that keeps us alive and our brains ticking, one must be in awe of it all.

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