Monday, February 22, 2010

Unintentionally Funny Headline

Royal astronomer: 'Aliens may be staring us in the face'

Actually, he appears to be looking off to one side, but still...
This does turn out to be a mildly interesting article:
“I suspect there could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can’t conceive. Just as a chimpanzee can’t understand quantum theory, it could be there as aspects of reality that are beyond the capacity of our brains.”
Exactly. This is one reason among many that science shouldn't presume to reach "truth." It is fearsomely good at making predictions, and for practical purposes, that is a useful meaning for "truth." But as soon as one assumes that something is an absolute fact, the line is crossed between practicality and hubris. That's a dangerous line to cross.

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