Often, scientists are charged with removing mystery and wonder as we delve into the inner workings of the natural realm. I don’t agree with that, and neither does Randall Munroe (xkcd “Beauty”, above).
In this week’s TED talk, Robin Ince discusses how science does not take away anything from wonder. I was BLOWN away by this talk. Just blown away. But not in the way you might imagine. I don’t want to ruin it for you, so go ahead and watch the 8 minute clip for yourself. Then come back and comment because I want to see what you think about it and it should make for some healthy conversation.
I just watched the video, and I have to say, I was ‘blown away’ by it as well. At the risk of spoiling Robin Ince’s talk for those who haven’t watched it yet, I’ll go ahead and say that his argument was, to me, very far from satisfying. Once in a while he made a comment I found humorous, or mentioned a scientific principle I do find wondrous; that much I’ll admit. However, many of his points smack of the absolute reductionism that many people feel is the greatest destroyer of life’s ‘magic’ in the first place. I found his concluding note to be especially depressing, not to mention fallacious.
My final thought? Science really does reveal a universe of fruitfulness and wonder, but Mr. Ince sure doesn’t make it look that way.
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Well done, Sam. Well done.
Wow
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