When worlds (and particles) collide
dan tynan on Sep 12 2008 at 11:19 am | Filed under: Crazyass cults, Cringley, Infoworld
I don’t know about you, but all the news about Europe’s Large Hadron Collider has me more excited than a kid in a candy store.
I think sending particles zipping around a 17 mile race track just so they can crash head on into each other and explode into a billion bits is the coolest thing in the world. The notion that the universe is held together like an enormous ball of rubber bands is fascinating to me, though I also don’t believe it (personally, I could never build one bigger than a softball). Anything involving stuff named protons, gluons, and muons has to be cool. And I love the fact that every time science believes it has gotten down to the essential elements of matter, somebody finds something even smaller and more elusive.
Call me a physics geek.
Of course, some people believe the LHC is going to end life as we know it. Black holes will emerge from the collider and swallow up the earth like a jawbreaker. Never mind that protons collide at high speeds oh, about a billion times a second out there in the solar system. Or that many of the same people who believe humans could not possibly have had any impact on global warming still think we’re capable of obliterating the universe.
So they’re doing things like issuing death threats to some of the scientists involved and suing in court to try and stop it. (Though as I understand it, black holes are not bound by temporary restraining orders.)
On a related note, some religious zealot is trying to organize a boycott of Will Wright’s Spore because she thinks the game teaches kids to believe in evolution. And that, as we all know, is tantamount to eating apples and talking to serpents.
All these people are really doing is proving that evolution truly is selective — and they weren’t picked.
I don’t believe in the infallibility of science. The great thing about science is its fallibility — the fact that no assumption is safe and every theory must eventually prove its merit. That’s why they spent $9 billion building that enormous atom-smashing toy — to prove their theories right or start all over again from scratch.
What you have to watch out for are the theories that claim to be infallible. Because the only way their believers can win is to stomp out everyone who disagrees with them.
It’s just part of the war on rational thought that has been waged for hundreds if not thousands of years. But you know what? Rational thought is actually a good thing. It’s what brought us the computer, the Internet, and yes, that cool atom-smashing machine under the earth in Switzerland.
If you believe in rational thought, you need to make your thoughts known and your voice heard. At the very least, vote for politicians who also believe we should be ruled by our brains and not our fears.
Are people around here getting dumber, or are they just more determined to prove it? Post your thoughts below or email me direct: dan (at) dantynan (dot) com.
This post originally appeared on Infoworld’s Notes From the Field blog.
“All these people are really doing is proving that evolution truly is selective — and they weren’t picked.”
Awesome line. I am going to use variations of this line when confronted by morons.
Nice piece on the Hadron Collider. I think it is fascinating as well.
Rational thought does not exclude faith. Please see Newton, Faraday etc., etc. and many modern science scholars who chose science as their mode of transportation on their spiritual journey to understanding the universe and in many cases even chose science as their faith expression. Not even during the Enlightenment was there such division and derision as now. I am baffled at such vitriolic criticism from both sides. I find it all very sad and I truly believe it paralyzes us. There is such a lack of respect and even basic civility in these dicourses. I believe we have made a modern divide where none need be and for the majority of our most brilliant scientific minds, this divide never existed.
Right on, sister. I am with you 100%. Rational thought does not preclude faith. It does preclude a literal interpretation of the Bible though, which is at the root of what I write about above. I don’t think you can believe in Creationism and call yourself a credible scientist. I don’t think those things are compatible.
I for one was perfectly content to let the faith-based crowd alone, until the current administration came to power and started shoving this stuff down our throats. You can really track it back to the Reagan era, if not before. The effort to sneak Christian dogma into our school curricula, for instance, the fight over women’s rights (abortion), birth control, gay rights (sex), etc.
I’m a big believer in religious freedom, but 20 to 25% of Americans are rabid fundamentalists who don’t share that view. They believe in a Christian America — period. I’m done being polite about it. I know there are millions who feel as I do. Hence the division and derision.
peace,
dt
I agree with Kylie’s comment, and bravo to Tynan! Encore, encore!
Seriously though, those of us who were lucky enough to have had a mind-nurturing environment while growing up should thank our lucky stars that we’re not taught to be close-minded zealots (in any religion) who wish to stamp out all rational thought. The only people who want to stamp out one zealous group is another zealous group (note our current administration). Whoops sorry, didn’t mean to slip politics into this comment.
Anyway, thank you and I enjoyed the article and “The great thing about science is its fallibility — the fact that no assumption is safe and every theory must eventually prove its merit” is a fabulous explanation for people who don’t understand what science is. Kylie, you may want to try this one first as it is not apt to create a negative reaction right away, as your first (obviously funnier) choice. Diplomacy.. diplomacy..
Great job Tynan!
All that has been said here is very compeling… at least for me…
I am a mechanical Engineer who has always been fascinated by the concept of God and his greatness.
I think that the Large Hadron Collider will become the greatest achievement of man in this century.
As you Tynan, ever since I found out that it was the Hadron was finished, I feel like a 5 year old baby with a new toy.
And as Lysa says … “Rationale thought does not exclude faith” … Lisa’s words remind me of one of Einstein’s events when Hubble discovered and demonstrated that the Universe was in constant expansion and he realized that his equation of relativity was correct, and at that time (1931) all the science community believed the universe was static and in harmony, and Einstein based on this believe created the “Fudge Factor” that ensured a ’steady state’ universe,one that had no beginning or end…
Einstein realized how wrong he was and wrote this thought in his book ” The World As I See It” … “Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe–a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.”
Regarding the people that have replied to your posts so negatively.. please understand that all humans don’t react that well to the unknown… Being ignorant of the crucial things in live, the truths that are out there, the overwhelming concept of God, etc, develops in us an adverse reaction, which is the result of our own fears.
Fear is our No. 1 enemy.
I do believe that the existance of God and his presence has been vastly demonstrated already and the Hadron will allow us to finally demonstrate without any doubt that there is a God.
I would like to add that God is who puts people like you in our paths, to enlighten us and indulge us with great art and music too!
Tynan, thank you again for sharing with us such a great achievement
Pam