Science, the Simpsons, & Coffee Breaks
Posted by tom | Jul 31, 2007Today I came across 2 pieces, the one asks Who’s Minding the Mind and explores the manipulation of social instincts by something as simple as handing a college student a cup of coffee and then observing the impact on their later interactions based on whether the coffee was hot or cold . . . The other piece from Nature, is an interview of the Simpson's Executive producer Al Jean Science in comedy: Mmm... pi:
Our general agenda is to show both sides of an issue and to let the viewer make up his or her own mind. In my lifetime I've seen science viewed as the saviour for everything, but now it's almost come full circle, because nothing can completely solve everyone's problems, and the disappointment when that happens is extreme. So now people are casting scientists as villains and not listening to them, which I think is tragic.But we make fun of everything, so if a scientist appears on the show we make fun of them too. Generally our depiction of scientists is that they're insular and have bad social lives, and say things in an obscure fashion that isn't always comprehensible to the layman. From my limited experience in the scientific world I wouldn't say it's completely off the mark.
The article on priming the mind ends with the following statement the new research on priming makes it clear that we are not alone in our own consciousness. We have company, an invisible partner who has strong reactions about the world that don’t always agree with our own, but whose instincts, these studies clearly show, are at least as likely to be helpful, and attentive to others, as they are to be disruptive. So I wonder how one will react to science and math today now that you've read some thoughts with regard to Simpson's or how you'll react to the Simpson's as a scientist. Yes, there is more to reality than can be garnered by the primary senses and the mind. There is a will and a soul. There are spirits, powers, and authorities. All of reality and our interactions in it cannot be explained only through the lens/framework of science (or research trying to take advantage of the tools of science). Enough for now. All the time I have to post at this time. Anyone able to elaborate further?
Hi Tom. Interesting post about science and culture. You may be interested to know that I just published a book about science on the Simpsons called What's Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe
Best regards,
Posted by Paul Halpern, Jul 31 2007, 22:31Paul Halpern