On Saturday, in my post about high school biology, I failed to mention that even though I dropped out of the course, I did read Charles Darwin's Origin of Species in high school. I'm now wondering whether I read it after dropping out of biology (perhaps as some sort of atonement), or before and the book prompted me to sign up for the course? If the latter, then it appears that I must have found the actual task of acquiring the vocabulary of biology less exciting than reading the story of Darwin's discovery.
I have, in fact, always seriously doubted that I had a working scientist's temperament. Scientist after scientist has reported that doing science is mostly very hard work. The discovery of the structure of DNA (or of evolution by natural selection) comes to few scientists.
I recommend the book The Double Helix by James Watson (of the Watson-Crick team) It's an exciting (for scientists) blow by blow of how DNA structure was identified, and it is written with both humanity and humor. It will help you atone for dropping out of high school biology (which I never did. HA! One of the exceedingly rare times that I can claim victory over you in matters of schooling).
ReplyDeleteI admire you greatly, Tom, for managing to complete high school biology. I'm sure you're a better student than me for doing so.
ReplyDeleteI too have read Watson and Crick's book. Yes, indeed, a great read, as are the books of Richard Dawkins I've so far read. How's your own Dawkins reading coming along?
Well, I haven't actually read him and I'm not exactly sure when I will. While you may suspect otherwise (or perhpas not) I'm not really opposed to reading him. It's more a matter of buying out time for something that promises me little reward. I've come across countless individual arguments for atheism, some on the internet, some elsewhere. They don't impress me. I'm not sure how taking them in orchestral form would change anything.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's possible I may peruse in someday.
Tom, I think I very well understand where you're coming from. It's more or less where I myself am coming from, mutatis mutandis, a Latin phrase I've loved ever since I learned it in my youth. In case your own Latin is rusty, it means "with the respective differences having been considered." Those difference, of course, are that in my case, "I haven't actually read scriptures lately...because doing so promises me (for my part) little reward. I've read (and even studied and prayed over) many passages from scripture. While they once impressed me, they no longer do. I am quite sure at this point that taking them up again would not change anything for me."
ReplyDelete