On the Eternal Battle between Science and Religion

August 12th, 2008 Filed Under saulism, science, writing

Math is science’s search for God. Science always begins, “We have constructed assumptions which predict results, but what is the basis for those assumptions?” So it delves deeper. It says, “If we assume these assumptions are ‘God’, then our search is effectively over, so we assume there is a more basic explanation.” At some point, even if there is a grand unified theory whereupon a SU(7) gauge space with these constraints and such and thus would in all probability of eternity spring forth universes…still, why is it SU(7) at all? What is special about that?

We already have so many pieces of the puzzle, but even if the puzzle is ever completely solved and all the scientists become specialized mathematicians, there will still be the question, “why anything at all?” On one side will be the ones who say it must be constructed, and on the other side will be the ones who say it doesn’t have to be, that every time so far we’ve thought it was impenetrable, someone has shown that we can see even deeper. This debate will never cease, and unless some incontrovertible evidence comes along, I don’t think it ever should.

Religions worship Gods, Science worships Math.

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A Comment to Hillary

February 23rd, 2008 Filed Under politics, writing

CNN.com has another story about Hillary raging against the horrible tactics of the Obama campaign. I don’t know why CNN gives her such top billing for these claims, but after last week’s weak accusation of plagiarism I just had to send a comment to her campaign to let her know how I felt:

Today I looked on cnn.com and saw Ms. Clinton right there on the front page, with a headlined statement about ‘blatantly false’ Obama mailers. I have not done the research to find out if these particular allegations are true, but frankly I find my ‘outrage’ difficult to summon this time, given that I found her previous allegations of his ‘plagiarism’ to be almost totally hollow. I was disappointed with the Rovian tactics of her campaign then, and every subsequent angry Clinton headline just leaves me more discouraged. Honestly, though I will cast my presidential vote for the Democratic nominee regardless, at this point, I seriously hope she loses the nomination, and if she does win, I greatly fear for the long-term outcomes of the election and her subsequent presidency and the progressive movement as a whole in this country.

I’m sure my comments won’t matter one lick to Ms. Clinton, as my state’s caucus is in the past and she would get my reluctant vote in the national election anyway. I’m just sick of the ongoing “politics as usual” which has gotten us to where we are today, and that is why I support Obama even though I think Clinton’s policies and experience are more concrete. We need our leaders to spend their energy aligning anyone and everyone towards social and intellectual tolerance, economic and environmental sustainability, and a trustworthy (or at least transparent) government. The Clinton campaign clearly sees Obama as competition to be beaten, rather than a challenge to be met. I long for the day when one candidate’s policy loses nobly to another candidate’s vision, without debasing either campaign for the sake of winning at all costs.

I still admire Ms. Clinton and the work she has done for this country, and hope she will continue to work for the progress and change we so badly need. These kinds of political tactics may provide short-term gains for one faction of the party, but even medium-term they do a disservice to whichever candidate takes the nomination and the movement as a whole.

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A Creation Myth for Science

August 5th, 2007 Filed Under featured, portfolio, science, writing

Here is a scientifically accurate creation story, in the style of Genesis I. I did my best to keep mysticism, remove Yahweh, and incorporate certain substantial omissions from Moses’ version.

In the beginning there was everything, and everything was one; eternal and without measure.

And the universe exploded into being, forming the first element and the second element in the proportion of three to one, creating the billions of galaxies and nebulae; and by the thirteenth eon there were billions of ancestral suns.

The ancestral suns burned the first element for several eons to form the second element and the third element and so on down to the twenty-sixth element; and the ancestral suns collapsed each in their time, and exploded in every direction; and from their remains arose the billions of elder suns.

The elder suns burned for several more eons, and further formed the second and third elements and so on down to the twenty-sixth element.

And the elder suns collapsed each in their time, and exploded in every direction; and the heavens were filled with stars, including the Sun: and they have burned for several eons and will burn for several more. So the ninety-two elements were created; and they settled to form the planets, including the Earth which came to orbit the Sun; and also the moons, including the Moon which came to orbit the Earth.

So the Earth spun night and day and night again, and the rock and ocean and atmosphere was separated by the fifth eon; and volcanoes made mountains; and rivers carved canyons; and the Moon brought the tides; and the wind blew and the rain fell without question.

In the ocean there came to be a form of proto-life, which was reproduction; reproduction begat evolution; evolution begat metabolism; and by the fourth eon there were simple cells.

Some simple cells became proto-plants, which ate from the sun; but their waste accumulated and became poison to them. And some simple cells became aerobia, which ate the bodies and breathed the waste; and by the third eon the eighth element had come to equilibrium in the atmosphere.

The simple cells and proto-plants and aerobia evolved independently; and by the second eon they had merged into compound cells, which ate from the Sun, and also the Earth.

Some compound cells became joined and formed coral and fungus; and one cell brought forth many cells that grew differently, yet functioned as one. And by the first eon, the earth had vegetation.

Vegetation became plants yielding seed, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, and flowers feeding insects which spread their seed. And there came to be fish in the ocean, and birds in the air, and all manner of animals along the ground; the larger ate the weaker and the smallest ate the waste, and it was equilibrium.

And it came to pass that australopithicus, which walked upright on two feet, begat homo habilis, which hunted with tools; habilis begat erectus, which captured fire; and erectus begat sapiens, which moved their tongues in speech.

Now it is the end of the first eon; and homo sapiens is man and woman.