Advancing astrophysical techniques led to
more complete astronomical observations, which led to
a better understanding of the sun and stars, which led to
a realization that they had an unknown energy source powering them, which led to
the discovery and recognition of radioactivity and the nature of the atomic nucleus, which led to
the harnessing of nuclear power.
The moral is, you never know where science will lead you. The most abstract and esoteric pure "useless" research often has a way of stumbling onto items of immense and immediate practical value. Nature is all tied together, everything we learn teaches us something about everything else.
But that's not the reason we do science. We do it because it's fun. It gives life meaning.
And that's the only reason we really need to do anything. Nuclear power and a cure for cancer are just by-products, spinoffs, the leftovers after the really important stuff gets done. This is why we are all drawn to space, precisely because we have no idea what we're going to find out there, but what ever we do find will be really neat.
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re: The meaning of life?
The whole thread (33 posts)
- The meaning of life?
- "A life without god, knowing there's nothing after death, where uncertainty reigns...can be perfectly meaningful!"
- One more time...
- Well, that's the end of the film. Now, here's the meaning of life.
- re: The meaning of life?
- re: The meaning of life?
- 42 (n/t)