Getting Further Away

About a week ago I started listening to Elliott Smith, and immediately fell head-over-heels in love with his music. One of my favorite of his lyrics goes

"I've got a long way to go, getting further away"

And that pretty much sums up how I feel right now.

I have a physics test tomorrow. I haven't really payed attention to the class in about a month, but I'll probably still get at least a 85 on the test, probably higher. After that it's more physics homework, math homework, geography, computer science, physics again, blah, blah, blah. All I want is a cup of strong coffee, a chocolate bar, and the time to read something worthwhile.

Speaking of reading, I've started Richard Dawkins' book "The Greatest Show on Earth", which is his defense of evolution and attack on creationism. I agree with him wholeheartedly on evolution, disagree with him wholeheartedly on atheism, and generally get the sense that he thinks he is much cleverer than he actually is. Then again, I suffer from the same fault so perhaps I shouldn't be so quick to criticize him for that.

I'm getting annoyed at science. No, that's not true. I love science; I'm a physics major for pity's sake. I'm annoyed at the idolization of science, like it is some indestructible tank, bravely waging war on religion, or stupidity, or creationism, or whatever happens to be convenient. Here's the thing: science doesn't give a flying damn about anything, at all, ever. Science can only be beautiful if we acknowledge that there is such a thing as beauty, which can be got at by such a thing as science. But stop pretending science is a philosophy -- or at least acknowledge that if it is, it is the most depressingly boring, deterministic, and meaningless philosophy that it is possible to invent. It may take a scientist to find the smallpox vaccine, but it takes a religion to find that people are worth being vaccinated.

Enough with ranting. I've been on that train of thought too long and I had to get it out of my system.

So anyhow, this has been "Deep Thoughts" with Nate Scheidler. Tune in next time. Meanwhile I'm off to confession, and then start again trying to love my crooked neighbors with all my crooked heart.