The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-18
LABORATORY
AND SHOP
By DAVID RAMSEY

simply means that the scientist in
describing the mutual interaction Of
the individual elements Of an atom
must resort to statistical laws which
express the outcome Of the physical
relationships developed by the in
teraction. But a statistical law is
not based on pure chance" as
ideaIstic physicists and mathema.
>5cians would have us believe. Nat
urally statistical descriptions are de-
pendent upon the data available.
The more complete the data the
nearer do our statistical results APP
proach objective reality, and the
more exact is our prediction Of
scientific event. Statistical laws can
be as exact as non-statisticsI laws.
The former are laws of the general,
expressing the relationship of the
elements Of a dialectically Develop
ing whole; the latter are laws Of the
particular, expressing individual re-
lationships. But both statistical and
non-statistical laws describe an OBJ
iective word about which we learn
more and more with the growth Of
scientific knowledge.
MO scientific law can give us an
" exact prediction, If by exact is
meant exhaustive or final or eternal.
Science as a branch Of human
knowledge is continually developing
higher and higher degree of ex-
actitude. It may be that a gap
will always exist between the degree
Of eXactitude achieved and theo-
retically perfect" exactitude; but it
will be gap entirely too narrow to
admit those winds of chance which
the Comptons and Bohrs are so
eager to ride into chaos. How do
we know it viii be? Because it is
too narrow now. We know it will be
too narrow tomorrow because 1t is
too narrow today. The history Of
scientific advance proves this with
a degree Of exactitude too high to
admit uncertainty.
The discoveries of science are the
steps up which man climbs to gain
wider and clearer understanding
of things. The truth content" Of
science is continually rising in the
test-tube Of knowledge, but only
metaphysicians search for eternal
truths.
Dialectical materialists set up the
criterion of practice for ascertaining
the truth of our observations. Scien-
tific laws are true" insofar as they
are found to coincide ever more
closely with objective reality. The
carrying-out of our ideas in prac-
tice proves their approximate COR
with reality. This test
of truth is the foundation Of science
and knowledge.
We have seen that the principle
of uncertainty is not based on scien-
tific facts. 1t is an attempt to sub
jectiyize natural and social phenom-
ena so as to pave the way for
idealism and religion. BY trying to
reduce science to chaos the 'uncer-
tainty" mongers are indirectly play
ing a reactionary role, The real
motive behind their attack upon a
consistent materialistic philosophy
is revealed in DR.. Compton's state
ment that such philosophy takes
away all basis for morality" In
other words. dialectical materialism
is the enemy Of the dogmas Of re-
ligion, which are exploited by the
capitalist class to hide the useless
ness Of the present system behind
ritual and symbol
Note: T0day's column was done
In response to many requests from
readers. 1t is sample Of the kind
Of short, simple theoretical article
that could be run fairly regularly
II the majority Of readers find it
easy reading. Will they write In
as TO the advisabiIity of more ar
ticles along the same line?