Religion and Science
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Voronwë the Faithful
- At the intersection of here and now
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It's weird, all right. I am more or less a New York Yankees fan . . . . yes, yes, I know. That's like being a fan of giant man-eating snakes or something. 
I confess that when Mr. Derek Jeter retires or is traded (ha!) my allegiance to the Yankees will likely be over.
The Red Sox, like the Bruins, are hugely popular in Atlantic Canada. Since for decades the only hockey teams in Canada were the loathsome Leafs and the horrible Habs, Maritimers were always fans of the "Boston states".
In that case it wasn't "faith" but "showing them Upper Canadians how much we hate them".
I confess that when Mr. Derek Jeter retires or is traded (ha!) my allegiance to the Yankees will likely be over.
The Red Sox, like the Bruins, are hugely popular in Atlantic Canada. Since for decades the only hockey teams in Canada were the loathsome Leafs and the horrible Habs, Maritimers were always fans of the "Boston states".
In that case it wasn't "faith" but "showing them Upper Canadians how much we hate them".
Dig deeper.
I listened to a radio interview with Saul Perlmutter, who shares this year's Nobel prize for physics. What a cool guy.
I had heard him interviewed in 1998 on the same radio show (Quirks and Quarks on CBC) and they played part of that interview again today.
He utterly exemplifies what a scientist is, and his work and the work of his co-winners exemplifies what Science is.
I had heard him interviewed in 1998 on the same radio show (Quirks and Quarks on CBC) and they played part of that interview again today.
He utterly exemplifies what a scientist is, and his work and the work of his co-winners exemplifies what Science is.
Dig deeper.
Caught a bit of this while driving between London and Mount Forest (ON) but the station was in and out. This was the dark energy (dark matter) guy Ax referred to (I think it was Ax). Here's a link in case anyone wants to listen: http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplaye ... 2149694800I listened to a radio interview with Saul Perlmutter, who shares this year's Nobel prize for physics. What a cool guy.
I had heard him interviewed in 1998 on the same radio show (Quirks and Quarks on CBC) and they played part of that interview again today.
He utterly exemplifies what a scientist is, and his work and the work of his co-winners exemplifies what Science is.
It was a decent interview, I listen to Quirks and Quarks on a fairly regular basis. The scientists featured on the show usually manage to describe their work in a way that is accessable and engaging to non-scientists.
I listen to it fairly often. I enjoy the show very much. I also enjoy "White Coat, Black Art" with Dr. Brian Goldman. Do you ever listen to it? That, and "The Age of Persuasion" with Terry O'Reilly. Those 3, with As It Happens and The Current, make the CBC absolutely necessary to Canada, AFAIC.
Dig deeper.
I would add to the great shows you mention: Q, Afganada, and The Debaters -- very instructive to me personally 
-- oh and Wire Tap which appears to be on hiatus. I often catch bits of DNTO and Spark as well.
-- oh and Wire Tap which appears to be on hiatus. I often catch bits of DNTO and Spark as well.
Last edited by SirDennis on Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
On topic - I came across an excerpt from the new book Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World by Lisa Randall. It really clarified for me the confusion that us laypersons tend to have over the new discoveries.
Highlight mine. Randall goes on to say that although astonishing new discoveries still happen in physics, they happen around the edges - at the extreme ranges of speed, size or distance. These discoveries do not overturn what we already know about our own everyday world. She says, "Its effects are far too suppressed relative to anything perceptible on a human scale."Some critics go even further, asserting that although scientists can predict a great deal, the reliability of those predictions is invariably suspect. Skeptics insist, notwithstanding scientific evidence, that there could always be a catch or a loophole. Perhaps people could come back from the dead or at the very least enter a portal into the Middle Ages or into Middle-earth. These doubters simply don’t trust the claims of science that a thing is definitively impossible.
Despite the wisdom of keeping an open mind and recognizing that new discoveries await, however, a deep fallacy is buried in this logic. The problem becomes clear when we dissect the meaning of such statements as those above and, in particular, apply the notion of scale. These questions ignore the fact that although there will always exist unexplored distance or energy ranges where the laws of physics might change, we know the laws of physics on human scales extremely well. We have had ample opportunity to test these laws over the centuries.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
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Primula Baggins
- Living in hope
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She should publish more books. I have a lot of friends (very good ones) who believe that the weirdness that occurs at quantum scales, or at holouniversal scales, means that nothing in our own lives can possibly be predicted or defined. Nope, sorry, old Newton had it figured out in the 1600s. The universe is an amazing place, but in our own personal, tangible experience we will have to settle for f = ma.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Trusting only what can be seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled is still only the basis of a system of belief. That new science sometimes seems to contradict what was thought to be true before reinforces such a system of belief; more so when a new discovery actually is a game changer.
Whether to believe only your eyes, only your heart, or a combination of the two, is a choice people make when trying to define and/or understand the world around them.
Things happening at the quantum level are still happening. Paraphrasing David Deutsch: anything that does not break the laws of physics is possible, but the laws of physics are not fully defined yet.
Whether to believe only your eyes, only your heart, or a combination of the two, is a choice people make when trying to define and/or understand the world around them.
Things happening at the quantum level are still happening. Paraphrasing David Deutsch: anything that does not break the laws of physics is possible, but the laws of physics are not fully defined yet.
Ax said:
NB: First and probably last time I will pull a quote from Fox.
To which VTF said:Cards won, time for me to go to bed.
From Fox news:It might be worth exploring how rooting for a baseball team is a form of faith.
OMG!The Cardinals won a remarkable World Series they weren't even supposed to reach, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night with another key hit by hometown star David Freese and six gutty innings from Chris Carpenter.
A day after an epic Game 6 that saw them twice within one strike of elimination before winning 10-9 in the 11th inning, the Cardinals captured their 11th World Series crown.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/10/2 ... z1cESJEVw2
NB: First and probably last time I will pull a quote from Fox.
