When we want to really indicate that something is brainy or when we want to indicate that something is difficult for us to conceive, or even when we want to explain that something is not hard to understand, we tend sometimes to use the term "rocket science".That is, when we say "this is rocket science" we mean that only wizards understand it, but when we say "this isn't rocket science" we mean that mere mortals can understand it.
Rocket science was developed thousands of years ago, several hundred years B.C., and is incredibly primitive from a cosmic viewpoint.
Why is it, then, that we tend to think rocket science is the ultimate in scientific capability?
It is because MOMCOM has a death grip on science and education as we know it.
Rocket science is a lazy scientific application that can't do what must be done in order for humanity to survive as a cosmic species.
It is the science of intellectual warmonger military types who only care about delivering a WMD payload somewhere on the surface of the Earth to destroy, kill, and maim.
Basically, "rocket science" is brain dead to greater cosmic reality.
Dredd,
ReplyDeleteI saw this article about people who work in the space industry worried about Obama's plans to basically scrap NASA in favor of the private sector. I'd be more sympathetic (as I would be to most Republican concerns as well) if these weren't the same people who were raising the most hell about the size of the government and/or deficit spending. Unfortunately in the US, when it comes to eliminating pork disguised as localized government workfare, the cry "not in my backyard" always rings out loud and clear.
It's also fair to say that current rocket technology is a good indicator of our lack of cosmic consciousness, in that species who are so completely reliant on military spinoff applications to advance their cause, almost certainly aren't mature enough to be ready for a wider audience. Our usual view of alien intelligence in popular culture as hostile and warlike is actually a reflection of our own tendencies. Certainly no reason to spread that kind of pathology around the galaxy, now is there?
disaffected,
ReplyDeleteYeah, interesting article. Bad policy leads to bad economy which can hurt scientific efforts by hurting the scientific job market.
Agreed, we do not want to spread any toxins of power out into the cosmos.