Building a Better Body (Part 5): The Role of Science
If we were engaged in the endeavor of interior home design or collecting vintage baseball cards, it is unlikely that science would play a significant role in our considerations. However, since building a better body concerns making alterations to our physical structure, its fundamental principles are guided by our present understanding of fields like biology and kinesiology, and so science becomes highly relevant.
Many of us seek scientific rationale for our training and nutrition practices. This seems to be the most intelligent way to proceed, but prudence dictates that we recognize the inherent nature of science as a mental construct. Science, as a practice, is a merely a method of investigation. It produces mental models, which (when fundamentally sound, and competently applied), yield predictable practical results.
Scientific models are man’s attempt to describe reality – they are metaphors for nature – and like all metaphors, they are intended to be a bridge, not the ultimate destination. Nature is what determines the validity of our premises, not consensus with prevailing scientific theories; as the latter suffer from the obscuring influence of human involvement. Countless long-held scientific notions have fallen apart upon closer inspection. In fact, infinitely more theories have fallen apart than have succeeded in presenting a useful, accurate depiction of reality.
This, of course, is not to say that science is an abysmal failure; nor is it intended as a knock against this critical practice. Experimentation - trial and error - is the method by which science uncovers factual information about our world. We must continually remind ourselves of this crucial point - science is a means by which we uncover truth, but it is compromised in many ways, and its present doctrine is not to be mistaken as truth itself.
In circumstances where we have the opportunity to use nature as our guide, it should always take precedence over any scientific “knowledge” we have accumulated. Your own body will have the final word on what works – and what doesn’t – for you. This frame of reference will become incredibly important as we move forward in this discussion.
Next time we'll investigate the role of science more closely, and determine how to employ its findings in our own efforts to build a better body.
Thanks for checking in!
Brian Blackwell
If you missed the previous articles in this series, you can find them here: