Food for Thought ~ On Science

:: On the Strange Squid Near at Hand @ Dappled Things

[Love, LOVE this one on education. GO READ IT.]

"So it can hardly be denied that the squid is an interesting animal. What then? What is the value of considering this animal, if any, beyond satisfying the particular interests of the biologist? Perhaps the first thing to note is that whether or not we see the point, as non-specialists, of studying the squid, we are inevitably drawn, upon observing it, to ask questions. “What is it? How does it live?” we wonder. “Why is it?” we may even be tempted to ask. But such questioning, inevitable as it is, is a complicated matter. We bring all sorts of assumptions into the asking, and even more into the act of investigating. When we attempt to understand a thing we are assuming much about its nature, our own, and that of the entire cosmos. Good questioners that we are, we must not leave our questioning itself unconsidered."

:: Why America’s obsession with STEM education is dangerous @ The Washington Post

[This post is fantastic!]

The United States has led the world in economic dynamism, innovation and entrepreneurship thanks to exactly the kind of teaching we are now told to defenestrate. A broad general education helps foster critical thinking and creativity. Exposure to a variety of fields produces synergy and cross fertilization. Yes, science and technology are crucial components of this education, but so are English and philosophy. When unveiling a new edition of the iPad, Steve Jobs explained that “it’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough — that it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”

:: What is Science? @ The Imaginative Conservative

One disastrous consequence of this reductionist view of science is the separation of cleverness from wisdom. Once physics is divorced from metaphysics it is no longer able to make moral or ethical judgments. Liberated from theology and philosophy, which are no longer considered sciences, the new truncated “science,” more properly called scientism, can be put to the service of damnable endeavours. The list of such endeavours, clever but lacking in wisdom, includes the guillotine, the gas chamber, the atomic bomb, nerve gas, biological weapons, and abortion technology.

:: Why I’m a Man of Science—and Faith @ National Geographic

"At the most fundamental level, it’s a miracle that there’s a universe at all. It’s a miracle that it has order, fine-tuning that allows the possibility of complexity, and laws that follow precise mathematical formulas. Contemplating this, an open-minded observer is almost forced to conclude that there must be a “mind” behind all this. To me, that qualifies as a miracle, a profound truth that lies outside of scientific explanation." -Francis Collins, interviewed in National Geographic Magazine.

:: Science Narrows in on Imagination @ The Imaginative Conservative

"This new scientific wisdom points the way forward, to imagination and creativity now, and eternity later. Our creativity, now, mimics that of God, in the past and future beyond the limits of Time, for that is His plan and is how we are made. Since all this is beyond mere measurement, it is beyond the limits of science and the comfort zone of most scientists—and best we do not tell them, for it would confuse and upset the poor dears. Instead, let us be grateful."

:: Believing in Science by David Hicks @ CiRCE

[go read this one!]

:: Watch Corals [and other slow life] Move in Timelapse Video @ Mental Floss.

The video at this link is gorgeous!

:: Simplifying science and embarking on nature journaling @ Nicole V. Bennett

[I love their journals! I’ll be posting more journaling resources and inspiration in a separate book post.]

:: Curiosity: It Helps Us Learn, But Why? @ nprEd

[On asking questions and seeking answers]

The researchers were surprised to learn that curious brains are better at learning not only about the subject at hand but also other stuff — even incidental, boring information.

:: Ready for Take-Off: Teens Pilot Airplanes in New York City @ Science Friday

[Well, this is one incredible way to increase curiosity!]