SCIENCE AND MAGIC
THE VIEW FROM A HOLE IN THE WALL
Sometimes, along with other mice, I bite off more than I can chew. Not often, but it happened when I was traveling through The Magician's Twin, edited by John G. West. Once inside this book, my journey became longer than planned. The reason? Each chapter contains ideas, not scenes or actions. To experience an idea always takes extra thought and time.
On this book journey I learned that C.S. Lewis believed "serious magical endeavor and the serious scientific endeavor are twins." That idea alone is enough to make a mouse stop chewing.
Science and magic are similar? In one way, it is pointed out that they have the ability to function as an alternative religion or belief. In another way, there is encouragement for a stunning lack of skepticism and a willingness to believe on slight evidence or sleight of hand.
Also is a similarity for a quest of power. This quest is not like the one of Don Quixote's or mine. Ours is based on a search for truth, not power that results in control. One evolutionary biologist urges his fellow scientists to be "... actively engaged in changing society and shaping the world's future." ... [Read More]
Close Call . . .
Whew! That was about the closest call I had on the topic of mouse existence or non-existence. Trapped in the neighbor's house by that serial-killer cat was something I would wish on no mouse, not even my cousin Markus. Just because he is a full-blown militant skeptic, that is no reason to wish him harm.
One good thing happened during my absence. The neighbor is a pastor and has a house full of books and bookcases. This allowed me several alleys to run along, as he keeps his books pushed toward the front of the shelves. Other than a few quick trips to the kitchen cupboards for some physical treats, I was quite happy with the mental nourishment the books provided.
Wait a minute. Am I insulting your intelligence by getting food for thought in books? I mean, would you rather I used words like cool, dude, LBGT, YoHo, and dropped the names of popular rappers or sitcoms? Sorry. That's not for this mouse. I'm into books and I don't mean graphic novels. If it's pictures you want, then you have the wrong rodent. I'm strictly text and thinking.
Here you will run into words like genetic fallacy, law of non-contradiction, irreducible complexity, and gulp . ... [Read More]
Happiness
Truth is certainly recorded in The Declaration of Independence when it states that a person has a right to “the pursuit of happiness.”
From my hole in the wall I see that humans spend most of their lives chasing after the thing they call ‘happiness’. Some catch it for a short time, then usually lose it somewhere along the way.
Happiness appears to be very elusive.
Besides being difficult to attain, it is difficult to define. For a mouse, happiness is cheese without a trap. When it comes to people, some define it as being carefree. Others will say that it’s a state of the soul. For a child it may be holding a puppy. For an adult it can be holding a bank savings statement that shows a large amount.
But happiness doesn’t depend on age. To be told that one is cancer free is happiness at any age. This usually happens with any good news.
Still the quote states that a human has a right to pursue Happiness, along with Life and Liberty. So the right is given, but how does one begin the pursuit of something that eludes definition? ... [Read More]
Definitions are important
Sorry about the lapse in my posting, but the Pastor's cat had me cornered and even though consistency is important, my life took priority. Since I needed to stay in a safe place, there was time to think about the need for communication. Even if a squeak could be understood by a meow, there would still be the need to be sure that we were talking about the same thing. Definitions are important.
If we use the same word in conversation, but it means something different for each of us, then we will either talk past one another or end up misunderstood. Like take the word "hole" in my blog title. You may think I'm going to blog about an opening or space of some kind.
Wrong.
And what about "wall"? Some sort of material come to mind? Could be brick, wood, or stone.
Wrong again.
Just so we can understand each other, this is what I have in mind concerning my blog title. "Hole" is what humans often have in their thinking - inconsistency, a flaw, some weakness. "Wall" is what one runs into when questioning the hole.
Still with me? ... [Read More]