Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Blinding Light of Science



     We look back at the beliefs of people in olden times and scoff at their ability to believe in the silliest of things. Elves, ogres, krakken, all of these things were believed to be real by many. In the time of Houdini, the spiritualist movement was in full bloom. Millions attended séances, convinced that they could speak to dead loved ones. Spirits talked to them by way of "spirit rapping", disembodied voices, or by taking possession of the medium and using her to convey their messages to the living. We find it hard to believe people could actually put their faith in such things. Yet never do we wonder what future generations will think of our beliefs and convictions. We, too, are blinded by the biases of our age. We believe unquestioningly that science and technology are always forces for positive change, that it is the greatest folly to try to hamper the technological advance. We are blinded by science, unaware that, as Albert Einstein said, mankind with technology is like a child with a razor blade. In our rush to embrace the knowledge that science brings, we have discarded the wisdom that past times knew. There is no room for morality in the laboratory, no discussion of good and evil. Thus we allow demons to do their work under our very noses, unaware of their presence until we are at last confronted with the truths we have so long denied.