h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

John Keats talked of "unweaving the rainbow", suggesting that Newton destroyed the beauty of nature by analysing light with a prism and splitting it into different colors. Do you believe that explaining nature takes the beauty out of it (where you can't just stand back and appreciate it the way it is), or do you believe that depth of understanding releases inner beauty untapped? Tell me 'bout it!

I like to find a balance. I dont look at every leaf going 'ooh, that's green because...' but I like to know how the world works too, to me the element of fascination adds to the beauty.

I think some people can go too far and can not see the unimportant beauty because of the underlying science, I think that's a pity, but everyone's different

I find that the more I know about things the more wonderful they become. Stuff is great but the constitution of that stuff is spellbinding. Just the knowledge of the amount of space solid stuff is made of still amazes me.

Explaining a joke destroys it, but scientific discovery is boundless and often opens up whole new worlds of understanding and beauty.

keats possibly thought the number of mysteries were small and likely to be unmasked rapidly.

fortunately he was very wrong.

Have you seen the graphic constructs they made out of virus coding? Beautiful!

It depends on the situation. There was a magician who showd how hundreds of tricks are done on TV and spoilt it for thousands of people. We know that magicians really can't make people fly so telling how it is done is mean spirited, the fact that the magician revealing the secrets had to hide his face says it all really.
.
A differant situation entirely is showing how nature works. There is an article in the new edition of The Post in which Websailor explains how feathers work and differ on birds. I found the information fascinating and as a birdwatcher learnt a lot. That is a good revelation and helps to understand nature..

Slugzzz, you didn't mention it so I don't know if you have read Richard Dawkins book called, of course, 'Unweaving the Rainbow'

The subtitle 'Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder' says it all. Science isn't just interesting, it's BEAUTIFUL.

Yes, that is where I got the idea for the thread. Richard Dawkins is one of my lifelong heroes. I actually got him to autograph the epilogue of my copy of "The Salmon of Doubt" (I never got to meet DNA, although he is my biggest role-model).
I whole-heartedly agree with Richard Dawkins as a scientist and an active member of the Atheist community.

I think there's sometimes a perception that scientists say "And that's that. Case closed. On to the next thing!" To me, the wonder (and beauty) of a new piece of knowledge is not what it closes off, but what it opens up. A new question to be asked, or a new suggestion for how things might be is a wonderful thing.
It's the same thing I like in many of my favourite artistic works: it's not the object itself, but the whole surrounding world of possibilities that it suggests.

- To me, the wonder (and beauty) of a new piece of knowledge is not what it closes off, but what it opens up-

I do perhaps have a bit of a problem with psychology. The idea of having your feelings and emotions analyzed and dissected.