Thoughts Worth Thinking:
Thought 1: Has science systemized our world a bit too much for our own good? (snatched from the March 20th 2006 blog)

In the middle of doing an equation I realized that I really enjoy physics sometimes, despite how obtuse and detatched it can be. Sometimes I'm forced to just sit back and marvel at how cool it is that the real life actions of things can be predicted in many cases by scribbling down these obtuse numbers and drawing similarly obtuse graphs, at how awesome the very prospect of that is, and at how far humanity has come since the most complex doctrine for any physical occurance was "God did it and we can never understand his ways." At the same time however, I tend to feel a twinge of regret in that sentiment. Is this grand attempt to systemize all the mystery and discovery out of the world really necessary? In our attempt to discover the workings of the universe, mankind has begun to chip away at its ignorance as to the workings of the world around it, but also at the boundaries that traditionally kept us in line, and the curiosity that fueled our progress. No longer can one stare into the blue sky content to philosophize about why it should be so; if one has a lick of sense they can look it up and google and find complex and deep sounding answers about the refractions of light and atmospheric elements to their hearts content. If you ask anybody on the street what holds their feet to the earth they'll answer "gravity" without a second thought - not even to consider what gravity is, what causes it, or to question the ready made explanations they have been fed by the rational but exhausting explanations of their science teachers since middle school. In this way, science is both enlightening and dumbing people down in my view - it gives them logical answers, which they proceed to accept blindly and dumbly as ever, never questioning the decision making process and evidence which led them to the conclusions that they accept as unassailable fact. I suppose it was always this way throughout history in some regard, and science has done nothing but change the nature of the answers you'll get when you ask people on the street what makes their shoes look black and what defines said color; afterall nobody has time to think about every single facet of their lives and the operation of the world surrounding them. Nobody has the capacity for that sort of inquiry; even the most acclaimed scientists are forced to specialize their focus to avoid being overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of it all. And that in essence is my complaint; what happened to all the world's simple but satisfying mysteries? In the end I believe there was more wonder and joy in the asking of the question than the answer, and as soon as the answer is known the creativity and passion inspired by its arrival is instantly squelched in favor of quadratic equations, trigonometry, hypothises and conclusions, and the everpresent threat of a rational explanation encroaching on what used to be a solid and inspiring mystery; and such mysteries have been the driving force behind creativity and some of the world's greatest classics in literature, music, and art in general. What happens when science achieves its aim of systemizing the world and its workings completely? Can "Star Wars" be written in a world where the general population is so informed as to be unable to suspend their disbelief about the possibility of lightsabers terminating so cleanly at the desired lengh and blackholes leading to alternate dimensions filled with random inverted colors? What would the art and literature in such a world be about if all the quandries of man are resolved? Is this why english, music, and art majors are beginning to be regarded as pointless wastes of money that could be better used studying one of the all-mighty sciences? Any and all comments are appreciated, and if I like them enough I'll post them under this thought on the site! Email me your thoughts at rpgamer93003@gmail.com. Thanks!

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