Emerson argues that scientific knowledge can become incomplete when it describes the world without relating its discoveries to human experience, values and perception. By saying that science lacks a “human side”, he is not rejecting observation or systematic inquiry. Rather, he is questioning an approach that treats facts as sufficient without considering what they mean for people.

Within Beauty, the remark reflects Emerson’s wider attempt to connect knowledge with imagination, aesthetics and moral understanding. Scientific analysis can explain structures, processes and relationships, while Emerson believes that human beings also seek significance, beauty and connection in what they study. The statement is therefore best read as a philosophical criticism of narrowly technical knowledge rather than a judgement against science itself. It suggests that a fuller understanding of the world should include both factual explanation and attention to human meaning.