Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Meddling Kids



As a kid I remember being slightly disappointed that Scooby Doo always ended the same: every mystery would have a rational explanation.

I guess I was lucky enough as a child to have seen a couple of good shows in the midst of all the rubbish on TV, like Scooby Doo and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

I was reading Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World the other day(yes, it takes me this long to read it!) where he talked about how useful television could be in instilling a passion for science in children, but how it often fails miserably to do so.

Of course the most outlandish and wild explanations are the most interesting. This is a big problem that science has in appealing to people, especially kids.

I think it can sometimes go against our instincts to accept rational explanations. The fantastic ones are so much more appealing and easy. It's something I hope to instill in my kids if I have them one day, a passion for learning and a healthy skepticism.

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1 comment:

Karla said...

It seems odd that there would be such a desire in us to enjoy mystery and to be disappointed when we can figure it all out. We want something more than that. Why? Maybe because there is something more. Maybe our desire is there because there is something greater than the natural to desire thus we are somewhat unsatisfied when we find natural answers. Why would be they be unsatisfactory unless our heart yearns for something more. Why would we yearn unless there was something to yearn for?