To Be Scientific Is to Be Interactive

Abstract

Hempel, Popper, and Kuhn argue that to be scientific is to be testable, to be falsifiable, and most nearly to do normal science, respectively. I argue that to be scientific is largely to be interactive, offering some examples from Science to show that the ideas from different fields of Science interact with one another. The results of the interactions are that hypotheses become more plausible, new phenomena are explained and predicted, we understand phenomena from a new perspective, and our worldview becomes simpler. I also argue that given that the interactions are impressive features of Science, astrology and religion would be regarded as science, provided that there are similar interactions in those enterprises.