Richard Dawkins – Strangeness of science

This talk is very fascinating. One of the most eminent voices in the scientific establishment expresses some of the strangeness in science, ideas like quantum physics, evolution, and atomism, which defy intuition.

What Dawkins doesn’t mention, but definitely knows, is that some of these ideas were not discovered by modern science but are as old as ancient Greece. The notion that all solid matter is mostly empty space, made up of building blocks called atoms, came from the philosopher Democritus.

One day, I will line out the progression from the Royal Society (the science club of Dawkins, Darwin, and all of the big British establishment scientists) to the secret society they claim as their predecessors, the “Invisible College” of the Rosicrucians.

It’s also interesting that Dawkins uses the metaphor “middle world” because both “Middle World” and “Middle Earth” are esoteric references to very old notions about our world – hanging by a thread between Heaven and Hell, between perfect Order and swirling Chaos, where Spirit and Matter collide.

Links

Richard Dawkins – The Blind Watchmaker

This is classic Richard Dawkins from the 80s. In the video, he talks about evolution, gradual development of complex organs, computer-generated biomorphs, and the future of technology and learning computers using natural selection as a model. Though a bit dated, this is still fascinating stuff.

Offline movies worth watching

If the topics covered on this weblog have interested you so far, I thought you might be interested in this collection of DVDs that are not available for online viewing.

People have to make a living. Unfortunately, the people who need this information most will be the hardest-pressed to afford it. If you can, buy these materials, show them to people you know, and spread the word. Here, I am simply linking to their websites so you can learn more from the horse’s mouth.

If you have any good DVD documentary picks, list them in the comments section.