author aghast: gas geeks don't gas
a short and sweet essay in the NY Times (Feb 28) commends a group of scientists for their recent humility in research on the Oracle of Delphi. they found that a crossing of faults releases trance-inducing gases just below the Oracle, suggesting a physiological reason for her euphoria. the author (William Broad), whose new book on the Oracle was just released this month, rightly praises these scientists: "In short, the scientists, while solving a major riddle of antiquity, wisely left other mysteries untouched."
and again: "The modesty of the Delphic investigators stands in contrast to some of the world's top scientists and their champions, who have claimed that science can answer questions far beyond the usual realm of physical phenomena, such as puzzles of religion, culture, ethics and, most important because of their centrality to the rest, mind and consciousness." after citing the sweeping and unsubstantiated reductionism of Dennett (see earlier post) and E.O. Wilson (see Revisions Magazine, Summer 2005), Broad recognizes that "such views are more hope than fact, as the best theorists concede, and can exhibit a kind of arrogance."
well done.
and again: "The modesty of the Delphic investigators stands in contrast to some of the world's top scientists and their champions, who have claimed that science can answer questions far beyond the usual realm of physical phenomena, such as puzzles of religion, culture, ethics and, most important because of their centrality to the rest, mind and consciousness." after citing the sweeping and unsubstantiated reductionism of Dennett (see earlier post) and E.O. Wilson (see Revisions Magazine, Summer 2005), Broad recognizes that "such views are more hope than fact, as the best theorists concede, and can exhibit a kind of arrogance."
well done.
posted by dave at 1:18 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Dave, this seems like a good idea for a blog. I'll stop in now and then to see what you're thinking about. Thanks for posting the excellent article on Dennett. Though we may not agree on the whole, uh, "Christ" thing, it's nice to know that we are still "familiar intentional systems". With that huge white beard and all, I think Dennett's got a bit of a God complex himself...
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