Hee Hee You know, this all reminds me of a Startrek or Voyager story where James T Kirk or Janeway or whomsoever, crosses paths with a planet where the inhabitants, dressed in sackcloths (as they always are in these portrayals), were scratching a meek existence from their mother planet. They worshipped their God and did all they were told by the high priests and their evangelists.Some said to the Starship Captain that they were poor and their babies were sick but their God would protect them so long as they did what He said. The priests ruled the roost and everyone was to do as they said, as it was they only who had access to the God provider, and if they all didn't do as they were told and keep to the superstitions and teachings they would perish and the world would end. They had survived through millennia by following the words of the prohets. There was one though, (usually a nice looking blonde LOL) who had different thoughts and believed there was more to life than that which they were being offered. She questioned the priests and was a thorn in their side, she was rebuked, threatened and always talked down, accused of offences she never committed (reminds me of you darkhourse et al lol, apart from the fact they were portrayed as serious folk, they didnt make childish jokes in rebuttal), but true to character she didn't waver. She didn't know what it was that inspired her, whether her spirit or just a sense to explore and ask questions, but she was never allowed to voice her thoughts. She worked alone in her rather well equiped laboratory as I remember the story, and in fact was well advanced with her ideas. The Starship Captain meets the high officials and is rather reticent and uneasy to accept all they say about the wrath of their God and the idea that the people must blindly follow all they are told. Some remarks are made about the poor way in which people are living and how they have the means to help, but they think the Starship and their officers are the devil in disguise or something similar. Eventually they convince the priests and officials to try and explain their religion some have one story some have a different account and they can't all agree to what it really says, to cut a long story short, they agree after some time take the Captain to their Holy Shrine. It turns out that the Shrine is a NASA space ship which crash landed thousands of years previously. As they were taken inside there was an old video player which was continuosly playing a loop of snippets from Holywood movies containing dialog from plays and old films, some saying "sacrifice your children" from an old bible movie, "if you dont ....food will diminish" that was probably from an old Monsanto advert LOL, and shots of a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb etc etc. The Starship Officers are shocked and try to explain what's really happening but, the priests will have none of it.The word escapes though and the blonde decides she will help to show the people a better way to exist. Some of the priests and some of the followers respond by jumping off a cliff or still refusing to accept what they are shown, some alter their believings to fit in with the revalations they've just seen.Others just denounce everything The upshot is the vast number begin their new search in a better way and the Starship is still experimenting, searching, looking into the cosmos, neither of them know all the answers, but at least they have more of a chance to find out, by using their intelligence and their instinct to ask questions whether it turns out to be God given or not, which is more than those poor sods on the planet could do previously. Q.E.D.
I don't call you names darkhorse, those are only my opinions and I'm entitled to them. They are expressed. When I voice them you accuse me of all sorts of infamy, say things I have never said, you are far too defensive.. you protest too much. Could it be an insecurity you have. You really shouldnt be so quick to accuse others of arrogance whilst displaying so much yourself. Aren't you supposed to take the plank from your own eye before trying to remove the splinter from anothers?
I recall that episode too. Problem with the analogy Stu is that modern scientists don't "know anything" more than the cavemen in regards to the big picture. Unlike the Star Trek episode where the crew and captain are made to appear both morally and intellectually superior to the cavemen, modern science is still at the caveman level. Scientists studying aboriginal cultures would probably be a similar parallel to the Star Trek episode. I am constantly amazed at how many scientific hypotheses or theories are proven wrong. Today's scientific truth isn't yesterday's truth and won't be tomorrow's truth either.
obviously you have no understanding of the philosophy of science or its methodology. science is the GREATEST tool man has ever invented! your criticism is actually one of the very things that make science so useful and reliable. :-/
Wow Tri you really think we are still at caveman levels of understanding??? Speaking of Star Trek a team of Austrailian Scientist 'tele-ported' photons the other day... I for one was very excited about this... PEACE and good trading, Commisso
<a href="http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer/STONETREK.html"> <img src="http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer/images/Whiff.jpg"></img></a>
hahahahaah this thread is extremely amusing, I would like to thank all of the participants! PEACE and good trading, Commisso