Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: VadeRetro
Agreed.

If earth is as old as some say, or even if it is as young as others say (which I don't think), in either case it's still such a huge amount of time that our having gone looking for facts over just the last century, and that only by a relatively small number of people, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Patience in constructing puzzles is a virtue.

2,469 posted on 04/10/2002 7:51:29 AM PDT by xzins
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2468 | View Replies ]


To: xzins
If earth is as old as some say, or even if it is as young as others say (which I don't think), in either case it's still such a huge amount of time that our having gone looking for facts over just the last century, and that only by a relatively small number of people, is just the tip of the iceberg.

You do have to be allowed to recognize what you're seeing when you see it. The last century has greatly multiplied our knowledge. In 1902, we were just probing radioactivity and figuring out that we might be able to explore the nature of the atom. We were still puzzled by the difference between a galaxy and a nebulla. The best light microscopes were as good as it got for seeing small objects. We had just lately proven that microorganims cause many diseases, but had only thought of a couple of things to do about it. (Immunization and sterile surgical procedure.)

By 1902, we had formulated the idea of a gene, realized that they must be hiding somewhere in cell structures called chromosomes, and that was approximately that. We thought the Cambrian sediments were the beginnings of all life. We had no evidence for the origins of man or whales, and only one intriguing fossil for bird origins. We didn't realize that continents drift.

We didn't know how to fly. Hollerith had just lately done the US census with electrical counting machines and punched cards. The latest miracle was the automobile. Gas lights were the rage, but electricity was threatening to displace them.

It took all of the history of mankind minus 100 years to get through 1902. But our knowledge has multiplied several-fold since then. It's an exponential curve, not linear. (At least, it's behaving as such for now.)

2,470 posted on 04/10/2002 8:28:29 AM PDT by VadeRetro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2469 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson