WESTERN SCIENTIFIC PARADIGM

Western Scientific Paradigm

The development of Western scientific paradigm refers to the broad process of rationalization that began in sixteenth century Europe as a result of the Reformation . The Western Scientific paradigm is based on three important metaphysical assumptions

Realism - There is a real world which is , in essence , physically measurable . We are embedded in that world , follow its laws , and have evolved from an ancient origin . Mind or consciousness evolved within that world the world pre-existed before its appearance , and continues to exist independent of consciousness

Objectivism - That real

world exists independently of mind , and can be studied as object

Reductionism - That real world is described by the laws of physics which apply everywhere . The essence of the scientific endeavor is to provide explanations for complex phenomena in terms of the characteristics of , and interactions among , their component parts

The development of the Western scientific method took place in the 15th and 16th century Europe . It involved deductive reasoning inductive reason and experimentation and mathematics (Hemphill , 1999 . The Western scientific method is a movement in which the investigator first operates inductively from observations to hypotheses . Then , he operates deductively from these hypotheses to their implications , in to check their validity from the standpoint of compatibility with accepted knowledge . After revision as needed , submits hypotheses to further test and inductive analysis through the collection of data specifically designed to test their validity at the empirical level . He then links together the new findings with other findings or knowledge , again employing deductive reason (Hemphill , 1999

The Western scientific paradigm was hugely successful as it could be easily accepted by all cultures . It was also seen as a privileged form of knowledge , with more validity or legitimacy than other knowledge However , the scientific method accepts only certain kinds of phenomena as evidence : observable , measurable , countable phenomena , thus conceiving of knowledge in only one , rather narrowly-focused kind of way . If thinking is limited in this manner , the overall cognitive potential of an individual becomes limited

In the realm of healthcare , the western scientific paradigm based on the scientific method of reasoning saw the human body from the mechanistic point of view . It focuses on the disease and the treatment is quite expensive . Western Medicine (WM ) treatments target the final step of a disease and do not address the root causes of the disease . Therefore , WM treatment may take effect faster . However , WM will not cure the disease , and the disease may easily relapse because the disease 's root causes have not been removed . In addition , WM treatment has many side effects . The Western Scientific paradigm looks upon the human body as materialistic - meaning , that only the material of the body is real nothing else . If you cannot touch it , see it under a microscope or conceive of it in chemical equations , then it doesn 't really exist (ACME , 2007

However , this Western scientific paradigm becomes problematic in the context of a culturally diverse society , such as the U .S . Consider the case...