They tell the story of one of the programmers for the first atomic bomb. He was strolling with a friend through the woods when they came upon a turtle. The scientist paused over the beautifully-spotted turtle, then picked it up. It would make a splendid gift for his children.
A few steps later, he stopped. Carefully re-tracing his steps, he returned the turtle to exactly where he had found it. The friend asked the scientist, "Why?" His answer is worth sharing. "Perhaps for one man, I've tampered enough with the universe...."
He wasn't denying science. More like recognizing that science is not enough for man. Contrary to so many of its modern apostles, science is not the high road back to the Garden, because that road runs directly through the heart of man. Not until we see this, not until then will science become what it was for Bacon, Newton and Mendel.
The great leap for our times is not simply to produce greater and better instruments. Rather, it is the long- deferred leap from Homo Sapiens ("rational man") to Homo Humanus ("human man"). The Gulf disaster has reminded the proud among us that somewhere deeper than the splendor of our creative brains, beats the majesty of our created souls.
Might the soul be the missing tool...?
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I'd like to think so...
ReplyDeleteBut Hawking just told us: "Science works."
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