I have just been impressed by an »incredibly good essay about the nature of science by Theodore Gray, cofounder of Wolfram Research, who brought us »The Periodic Table Of The Elements. Kudos.
(Sat Sep 27 08:10:10 EDT 2003)
Woah woah woah. I set down to write a review of this article, and all I can say is go read it. It really addresses at an amazingly basic level an important human/educational issue of the 21st century: What do we do when our science is so inscrutably complicated, it seems like magic?
I was lucky (God's Grace peeking around the corner again); I was home educated, and my parents were pleased with my attempts to figure out how things work. But for the thousands that are my peers and fellow humans, we live in a magical world. The priveleged get to use the magic. The destitute can only hope for the magic.
At Etown College this year, they have a new class to address this issue. It's called "How things work". I think it's a great idea, but it's sad that one has to reach the college level to take the course. By that time, we're all far too jaded. We've lost the sense of mystery and discovery of our early days.
sigh
Previous - My New Years Resolution o -- Habit: The Great Deadener?