Comments | quietwhisperer: To Those of Science

quietwhisperer

To Those of Science

Jun 27, 2004 15:03

... But science’s victory has cost every one of us. And it has cost us deeply. Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the ( Read more... )

Comments 16

Sceptical modern thought. crazygurlie June 26 2004, 23:07:50 UTC

Really, I am an atheist scientist at heart. So mostly, I see the first paragraph as naive. I personally prefer alleviation of suffering to maintanence of wonder. And even so, I still find sunsets beautiful.

Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed.

That 'self-worth' might also be seen as human egotism.

The second paragraph actually fits quite perfectly in with Retreat from the Global.

We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture and betrayal.

Although it's true that this depresses and horrifies, I am going to say that I prefer it to blissful ignorance. I like being aware of the nature of the world, that it is not a pretty place of love and friendship. But I guess that just supports what Dan Brown is saying about scepticism having become a virtue.

Does science hold anything sacred?

Doesn't science hold knowledge and understanding sacred?

It shatters God’s world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning... and all it finds is more questions...I don't really understand what this sentence is trying ( ... )

Re: Sceptical modern thought. crazygurlie June 27 2004, 04:00:47 UTC

Anyway, I thought I might ask you now, could I borrow The Da Vinci Code over the holidays? I need to understand what everyone is talking about, man!

Re: Sceptical modern thought. oneweeklater June 27 2004, 04:27:07 UTC

ahem get in line thanks :)

Re: Sceptical modern thought. crazygurlie June 27 2004, 04:54:29 UTC

I knew there would be someone ahead of me. :]

But anyway, [hisses at you].

Thread 8

shtinkey June 27 2004, 02:27:10 UTC

Its me here - she who loves both Art and Science but is not allowed to merge them into a career. Really, the limits of society - can't I believe in both? I didn't read the excerpt very well. I never do when its posted up. Maybe if I read the book and felt the atmosphere. But this whole thing of Art and religion opposing Science is STUPID ... but plausible.

I don't think I have anything really substantial to support what I'm saying, but I've had this argument/conversation with Lingsi before about religion and science not being able to mix, and for that I'm very disappointed that I can't be both.

horseling June 27 2004, 04:55:10 UTC

I can't remember exactly how our conversation went, or even what my opinion was, but look at da Vinci. He was one of the most amazing scientists AND artists in the history of mankind, and combined the two areas together. He also used religion in through his art and wove all three conflicts together... something that fascinates me even though I know now he's almost like Dali in the way his mind is freaky.

And with Helena's thoughts:
We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture and betrayal.

Although it's true that this depresses and horrifies, I am going to say that I prefer it to blissful ignorance. I like being aware of the nature of the world, that it is not a pretty place of love and friendship.That's why Pleasantville is one of my favourite movies... Because it presents us with exactly both these different worlds and challenges us. It's funny because this has been burdening my mind again in the past few weeks, would I really sacrifice my ignorance/bliss for knowledge and awareness? This question separates people, and for ( ... )

crazygurlie June 27 2004, 05:32:17 UTC

This question separates people, and for me personally, I would've chosen the old Pleasantville.

Yes, it's quite amazing how different people react to the question of painful knowledge over ignorance/bliss.

Anyway, in my opinion, in Pleasantville there is a slightly different situation. Like, in the old Pleasantville, nothing bad happened and that was their contained perfect world. It wasn't that bad things were happening and they didn't notice. I wouldn't choose the old Pleasantville, not because of ignorance/knowledge issues but because I find the old Pleasantville very constraining. I can definitely understand how it might be nice to live that way, though. With the security and downright wholesomeness.

But, yeah, I'm being pedantic. I really do know what you mean.

As a curious afterthought, what do you think would come of your art in the old Pleasantville?

Knowledge can be quite overrated sometimes. horseling June 27 2004, 07:03:01 UTC

Ahaha, I love how you can be such a geek with your icons in such a heavy conversation.

Pleasantville was really challenging to me, in that it preferred the coloured world with all its glory and corruption over the previously utopian one. Not challenging to me as in, I outrageously disagree, but it made me reconsider what I thought was utopian.

I think I live in a constrained sense sometimes. (this could be an understatement but yeah, whatever.) I want to ignore the big bad world and just look at my own small little.. thing. (See? Ignorance!) That's been an problem for me, always, because I choose to fly rather than fight and face the complications bearing its ugly head at me. Do you think that's wrong? (Stupid question ( ... )

Thread 6

highly_quotable June 27 2004, 03:33:02 UTC

I love how Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code explore similar issues - but from 2 different angles - and how they affect the world both historically and in contemporary times. I remember reading those paragraphs and fervently agreeing with it, just like the way I did when I read this:

Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith - acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory and exaggeration. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical and religious allegory has become a part of the fabric of reality. Living in that reality helps millions of people cope and be better people.I know they're 2 opposing views but there's so much logic in both that you can't walk away from one and believe in the other. That's precisely the way life is, you just can't win. Everything has its setbacks. By allowing some people to ( ... )

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