The harmonies and the synchronies

I just read an article about computers and AI. Its at http://web.media.mit.edu/~minsky/papers/ComputersCantThink.txt.

(Stumble upon rocks!)

In any case, the main body of the essay starts with a very interesting line":

'We naturally admire our Einsteins and Beethovens, and wonder if
computers ever could create such wondrous theories or symphonies.'

How absolutely brilliant! To equate Einstein with Beethoven and a theory of science with a great symphony! That people actually think in those terms makes me so happy. It cuts through so much of the clutter that always encompasses the great human endeavors and brings us to a very, very important fact. Science rocks because it is cool. A production line churning out cars rocks not because of its end effect on human comfort but because it is just awesome – a literal symphony of mechanical engineering, computer science and electronics. And a Saturn V lifting off – pouring out enough thrust to power entire cities, is poetry comparable to Keats or Homer

For a long time I wondered about space travel. It was (and is) a colossal expenditure of money and resources. Is it really worth it? Sure, telecommunications and GPS came of it. And lets not forget non-stick pans. But that doesn’t justify the enormous costs and the lives lost in the space race. What then was the need? Why was it even a goal? And why did people (who knew that their money was being siphoned off to fund these projects) support them? Why should they have?

They should have because space science it awesome. Using a giant telescope in space to understand the origins of everything is beautiful. To speak nothing of hurling a probe to the stars.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience – Carl Segan

Carl Segan was so right in so many ways. The nature of astronomical truth and its effect on the human psyche is at least as important as any perceived utility that we might derive from the investment.

Stop thinking of science and engineering as means to an end. They are ends in themselves – as much as art or literature. Sure, we pick those lines of research with the most apparent utility… but don’t artists so often paint for their audiences?