|::| Wednesday, July 17, 2002
- |::| Science Made Stupid 5:58:21 PM
-
Many moons ago, my eldest brother gave me as a birthday present a copy of a wonderful book called SCIENCE MADE STUPID [direct link]. (It was probably the last gift from him that wasn't some form of Christian propaganda.)
That book gave me many a sidesplitting belly laugh. Now, some wonderful soul, clearly taking account of the fact that the book appears to be out of print, has reproduced parts on the web.
From the Introduction:Introduction
Since the dawn of time, man has looked to the heavens and wondered: where did the stars come from? He has looked at the great diversity of plants and animals around him and wondered: where did life come from? He has looked at himself and wondered: where did I come from?
Later, he began to ask more complicated questions. He looked in his wallet and asked: where did my paycheck go? Am I on the right bus? Who do you like in the series? To the former questions, at least, science has provided answers.
What is Science?
Put most simply, science is a way of dealing with the world around us. It is a way of baffling the uninitiated with incomprehensible jargon. It is a way of obtaining fat government grants. It is a way of achieving mastery over the physical world by threatening it with destruction.
Science represents mankind's deepest aspirations - aspirations to power, to wealth, to the satisfaction of sheer animal lusts.
The cornerstone of modern science is the scientific method. Scientists first formulate hypotheses, or predictions, about nature. Then they perform experiments to test their hypotheses. There are two forms of scientific method, the inductive and the deductive.
INDUCTIVE: DEDUCTIVE: - formulate hypothesis
- apply for grant
- perform experiments or gather data to test hypothesis
- alter data to fit hypothesis
- publish
- formulate hypothesis
- apply for grant
- perform experiments or gather data to test hypothesis
- revise hypothesis to fit data
- backdate revised hypothesis
- publish
Science for Everyone
Sound simple? It is.
Once, when the secrets of science were the jealously guarded property of a small priesthood, the common man had no hope of mastering their arcane complexities. Years of study in musty classrooms were prerequisite to obtaining even a dim, incoherent knowledge of science.
Today, all that has changed: a dim, incoherent knowledge of science is available to anyone. Popular science books, magazines and computer programs - with their simple, fatuous and misleading prose, their garish illustrations, their flimsy modern production values - have brought science within the reach of anyone who can afford their inflated prices or who can mooch off someone else.
Indeed, today a myriad of sources are available to explain science facts that science itself has never dreamed of.
This web site is one of them.