Thursday 10 May 2012

Nature is not to be conquered

It's easy to think we can control everything because technology is dishing out information, entertainment, social connections, services, collaboration tools, video conferencing and many more new uses on the way. Some find it confusing and others feel  like a 3 year old in a mega toy store.
It is tempting to think we have control over Nature. The DNA genome and a complete neural model will be completed. We are on the way to understanding how we function. Processing power, storage, bandwidth have no limits. They are all becoming nearly free or at least openly accessible for a monthly fee. Will we control Nature?
Mr FA Hayek who wrote "The Constitution of Liberty" whose leanings are popular with conservatives and liberals, believes that acknowledging the limits of knowledge is as important as striving to attain knowledge. This is true when dealing with Nature which is about balance. Just look as a beautiful sunrise and the wonderful photos it gives us, illuminating everything in its magical light. Photographers call it magic hour. But think about  the Sun as a physicist, and you see a fusion machine that produces lethal radiation with the potential to kill us at anytime.
Nature is not to be conquered. It is about maintaining a mysterious balance of unrelated forces. This mystery is as important as our understanding. Some scientists think acknowledging that we can't know everything will discourage discovery. Then do research out of spite for the ignorant.

For me the Sunrise even on an overcast day is magical and mysterious. How can a fusion reactor be balanced by the forces in our solar system and on earth to sustain delicate life we see in a human baby? The contrast inspires awe and motivation to live richly.

1 comment:

  1. Understanding something completely sometimes (usually? always?) takes away the appreciation: Familiarity breeds contempt. Most of what you've said above could be applied to people's attempts to explain God. A multi-volume set of someone's systematic theology has its place, but should not be mistaken for the last word on the subject.

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