(urth) S&S vs. SF in BotNS

[Lee Berman]

On 12/23/2011 9:52 AM, Dave Lebling wrote:
> http://blogearth.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/electron-filmed-for-the-first-time/
>
> I have seen a photo of an electron. The link above is one of many that 
> will enable you to see one for yourself.

>David Stockhoff: I'm not usually playing advocate for this particular devil, but (a) 
>videos can be faked and (b) we have all seen Jesus and Mary on a potato 
>chip. Get back, Satan!

Heh, yep. Not to detract from the coolness of Dave's link! It is on a par with that
photo spelling of "IBM" with atoms. 
 
But I think it is an important part of retaining our essential humanity to remember that 
Dave's link is not "seeing an electron" but rather seeing a photo of an electron. A photo 
which, even with the best intentions of veracity has been enhanced so that human eyes may 
perceive the image in a way which makes sense to our brains.
 
Remembering that we cannot see an electron is, to me, a way of retaining a sense of our
essential humanity. Tools such as nanotechnology, math and science do not show us "reality".
What they do is bend and distort reality, whatever that may be,  so that we may perceive it 
by our limited human facilities.
 
>The funny thing here is that, to most people, SF fans are *more* 
>gullible than the common run of humanity, not *less.* Go figure.
 
That is funny. I had a short stint in the world of professional sales and some things I noticed
about the top salesmen are: 1. They are very nice, good people. 2. They are liars, often without
being conscious of it in the moment. 3. They are highly susceptible to the lies of other salesmen.
So many times those fat commission checks were blown on the dumbest scams. Later met with a shrug 
of the shoulders and "hey, that's business".
 
Academicians (in science and other fields) are stereotypically proud of their ability to reject the 
illusions of religion which entrance the populace, but are often susceptible to the pitfalls of their 
own professional beliefs. Not a surprise that academicians often divide into rival camps which operate
much like religious sects.