Science is a Brundel truth-seeking process that seeks to unravel Ma`ai, or the notion that “the fundamental truth escapes us.” Truth can only be found collectively, through the experiences of many different people.
It is a fact-finding and truth-telling process inasmuch as it is a relational, experiential learning process. Truth-seeking requires the scientist to experience the world and its processes, form relationships with those that have relevant experiences, describe these experiences, and share them when needed. This requires the scientist to hold multiple (often conflicting) things as true.
Scientists are credited with mapping the known world, creating the written form of the Arish language, sidereal wayfinding and space exploration, discovering “true” magnetic North , discovering black holes, and founding North Mountain University, among other things.
History
Brundel science was born on the island of Mercasor. It comes from the practice of wayfinding, or “knowing who you are from where you are.” The Brundel are traditionally an island people, and required keen navigation skills to traverse not only the physical environment, but the socio-political one, too. Because of this, they were the first to map the known world.
Science, like wayfinding, is motivated by the inherent value of knowing. Knowing is thought to be synonymous with caring for, serving, and loving (and vice-versa.) A human is a person because of their desire to learn, and so science is intrinsic to Brundel personhood.
Science has also entangled the Brundel with the world outside of Mercasor. There is a sentiment in Brundel culture that their ability to find their way in a variety of settings—to make connections with a variety of people—is what makes them resilient. Brundel scientists are a throughline connecting many different nations. While science is not thought of chiefly as a diplomatic tool, the international nature of science means that it is difficult for other nations to make aggressive political maneuvers against scientists, and particularly Mercasor. Not only is it diplomatically inconvenient, but it is often materially unfeasible, too. If the Brundel do not already possess the knowledge they need to defend themselves, they have good relationships with those who do. Because of this, Mercasor has been spared the worst behaviors of the global theater.
Distinctions
Brundel science is not:
Practical/applied science. All science is practical because all things are infinitely worth knowing.
“Knowledge for the sake of knowledge.” Brundel science is relational. Knowing is for the sake of the learner and the knowledge-giver. There are some things that cannot be known because learning places an undue burden / risk of harm on the parties involved.
Generalizable knowledge. Brundel science is intimate, situational, and place-based. There is generalized knowledge and a recognized value in creating generalized knowledge, especially to share with other communities. But like Brundel politics, there are no hierarchies, no panaceas, and no simplifications. This is a culture committed to sharing every little detail, down to the edge-cases and fringe theories, because it is the only way to paint a complete picture.
Objective. Brundel scientists are never separate from the systems they study. Learning is multidirectional, and they are active participants. For this reason, there are no illusions about their biases or how they color their studies, nor is there a desire to get rid of them. They are an intrinsic part of the narrative. Truth is found collectively through the efforts and experiences of many people.
As well, Brundel science uses some reasoning tools in unusual ways:
Empirical knowledge. Brundel science is typically sensory-experiential, and seeks to understand the material world, but it may navigate other truth-seeking systems as needed.
Experimentation. Brundel science sees experimentation as a mode of communication. It is a way of asking questions and receiving answers outside of human language. This is a two-way street, and scientists are not always the ones soliciting answers.
It is also somewhat unusual to isolate a component of a system (e.g. in a common garden experiment) to draw conclusions about the larger system, or other systems. Isolated experiments are still performed, but “isolation” is understood as an inherently unnatural and confounding state to learn in. It’s considered good practice to know something as it exists in-situ, even when it is difficult to impossible to separate confounding variables.
Causality. Science can be targeted and used to solve problems, but it is unusual for a scientist to center their actions as causal. Scientists do not compel answers from the world around them; the world decides whether and how to answer a scientist’s question.
Challenges
Cultural barriers. Though cultural flexibility and empathy for the “other” is deeply embedded in the sciences, and the Brundel language is seen as a soft-spoken, listening language, curiosity and forthrightness are also highly valued. A scientist’s motivations are sometimes perceived by others as invasive, rude, baffling, childish, or inappropriate.
Consensus-building. Consensus is required for most decisions in Brundel society. At the same time, it is almost impossible to obtain. Empathy and perspective-taking might be valued, but when this is coupled with the near-absence of hierarchies in Brundel society, individuals feel little pressure to concede—even on things that seem trivial. This is considered a feature and not a bug of Brundel decision-making. It is also one of the most confusing and frustrating aspects of Brundel science for outsiders to navigate.
Relativity & Dissemination. Science is shaped by Brundel culture and its relationship with Mercasor and the global theater. It interacts with many other worldviews, but it is gathered and shared from an inherently Brundel worldview. Other knowledge-seeking practices interact with Brundel science, and Brundel scientists may utilize these practices, but they are very much children of their own teachings.
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