Reply #64: So basically, you celebrate your ignorance by refusing to know more about the world?

[Humanist_Activist]

How is that possible, to suppress your curiosity like that? You seem to be under the impression that those of us who appreciate the discoveries of science lack wonder. Are you kidding me? Wonder and awe are two of the biggest motivations to go into science!

Wonder doesn't require mystery, indeed, wonder, the sense of awe, at the universe and world around us is only deepened when we actually understand an inkling of what's going on, and deepens further the more we know.

To label something as "magic" or "magical" shows a failure at imagination, its an easy way out.

Here's a simple example, the fact of evolution, as explained by Charles Darwin is humbling to humans, but also enthralling. Up until then, Humans were apart from animals, a line was clearly drawn, we were a special creation. But what didn't the theory of evolution explain, that we are but one branch on a family tree that represents an unbroken chain of ancestors going back over a billion years.

Cynics will say that because we aren't special and are "merely animals" that this destroys what it means to be human. I say that's not so, our species is still special, just not unique, and while we are animals, we are thinking animals, with civilization, fire, and yes even TV. It took the planet over 4 billion years till finally some environmental pressure was exerted that lead to us, and yet we waste it by bickering over whether this fact actually took place.

It helped redefine our place in the world, we are no longer apart from and above the rest of life, but a part of it, all life on the planet is connected, biologically, we are all cousins, family. If anything, this just deepens the wonder I have for life. But, and this is key here, none of this wonder is possible without my understanding of the concepts behind the theory of evolution, and the fact of evolution itself. I try to imagine what the tree of life, the family tree we all belong too, actually looks like. I see a tree with so many branches, we can't count them all, most on the low end of the tree, the trunk rising up, and near the top, all current species have their own branches, and humans are among them.

Would you like to know more? How about this, we know, thanks to science that not only are we connected to all the species of Earth, but that we are connected to the universe itself in the most fundamental way, we are a way for the universe to get to know itself. Everything that we are is thanks to what happened, billions of years ago, in the explosions of stars, in supernova, we stepped out of these, the most powerful of events in the universe, and now we can stand in awe of this fact. Do you have any idea how amazing that is, how special, and privileged we are that we live in this time, on the cusp of discovering so much more about the universe and ourselves. Instead of marking maps with "there be monsters here", perhaps its better to expand our horizons and see if the monster are real.

Forget magic, a failure of imagination and fantasy as anything else. Reality is where things get really exciting, no amount of magic even comes close to the majesty and beauty that exists in everything from the inside of a cell, to entire galaxies, and the structure of the universe itself. And most importantly, everything I mentioned is real and can be understood.

Oh, and just in case you think that all horizons are being explored, well, there's one we may never be able to cross, you can put your dragons and monsters there. Here's an interesting fact, the universe is about 13.7 billion years old, we can only see light that is that old or younger, and we can only see a distance that is about the same. But here's the interesting bit, the universe's actual size is about 93 billion light years across. Oh yes, we only can see a small fraction of it, and what we do see is filled with mysteries and wonders, but I'd like to know more about them, wouldn't you?

Perhaps not, perhaps my statements are lost on you, and that is truly your loss, you can indulge your fantasies and wallow in ignorance, but it is truly disappointing that someone of your intellect thinks the way you do, such a waste.