I can see technology as a useful side benefit of science, but as the point? No. If the reason we had gone to the moon was to come up with a non-stick saucepan, I'd feel cheated.
Let's try the car analogy. Say the universe is a car. There's no manual, and the instructor has stepped out for a while, possibly muttering something about updating his will, and we're here, in the driver's seat. Now, if we can learn to switch on the wipers, put the seat back and operate the mini bar and sandwich maker, that's all well and good...but if all we're going to do apart from that is sit behind the wheel making "vroom vroom" noises and marvelling at the construction, then it's going to get old. Sooner or later we've got to find out how to start the engine and leave the garage--especially if, as I believe, the ultimate goal is to design a better car of our own.
As for understanding other people, I think most of us don't try beyond a certain point, whether out of laziness, or courtesy, or a feeling that understanding oneself should be the first step, or again from this sense of mysticism. Complete understanding is theoretically possible and therefore practically possible, and I utterly disagree with the commenters below. But I'll address them separately.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2011-02-21 01:06 pm (UTC)Let's try the car analogy. Say the universe is a car. There's no manual, and the instructor has stepped out for a while, possibly muttering something about updating his will, and we're here, in the driver's seat. Now, if we can learn to switch on the wipers, put the seat back and operate the mini bar and sandwich maker, that's all well and good...but if all we're going to do apart from that is sit behind the wheel making "vroom vroom" noises and marvelling at the construction, then it's going to get old. Sooner or later we've got to find out how to start the engine and leave the garage--especially if, as I believe, the ultimate goal is to design a better car of our own.
As for understanding other people, I think most of us don't try beyond a certain point, whether out of laziness, or courtesy, or a feeling that understanding oneself should be the first step, or again from this sense of mysticism. Complete understanding is theoretically possible and therefore practically possible, and I utterly disagree with the commenters below. But I'll address them separately.