The Poetry of Reality
March 3, 2010 10:10 AM Subscribe
New Symphony of Science song! (Via).
Science is a collaborative enterprise
Spanning the generations
We remember those who prepared the way
Seeing for them also
Science is a collaborative enterprise
Spanning the generations
We remember those who prepared the way
Seeing for them also
When you listen to the lyrics, it feels kinda like christian rock for atheists.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:33 AM on March 3, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:33 AM on March 3, 2010 [4 favorites]
Coincidentally, my wife and I have started watching COSMOS recently. That show has gotten a lot of praise for explaining science, but my wife pointed out it doesn't really do a ton of explaining. Even she already knows a lot of the stuff Sagan is talking about and she knows next to no science.
But I'm not complaining about the show. I'm more pointing out that all the follow-on shows seem to have missed the really critical message of COSMOS: understanding is a kind of mysticism. If you must have spirituality, you can at least base it (and revise it) on something real, not something fictional.
COSMOS was trying to set up a narrative or mythos, not explain science. These song videos are trying to do the same. My hat off to them!
posted by DU at 10:39 AM on March 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
But I'm not complaining about the show. I'm more pointing out that all the follow-on shows seem to have missed the really critical message of COSMOS: understanding is a kind of mysticism. If you must have spirituality, you can at least base it (and revise it) on something real, not something fictional.
COSMOS was trying to set up a narrative or mythos, not explain science. These song videos are trying to do the same. My hat off to them!
posted by DU at 10:39 AM on March 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
I find it interesting that the two times a Symphony of Science song has been posted to MetaFilter, it was posted by Lobster Garden and Entitled "New Symphony of Science song!"
Is Symphony of Science something deserving of an FPP for every song released? Consider that Auto-Tune the News has had three FPPs, but for the second, sixth, and tenth release respectively.
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:22 PM on March 3, 2010
Is Symphony of Science something deserving of an FPP for every song released? Consider that Auto-Tune the News has had three FPPs, but for the second, sixth, and tenth release respectively.
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:22 PM on March 3, 2010
That show has gotten a lot of praise for explaining science, but my wife pointed out it doesn't really do a ton of explaining. Even she already knows a lot of the stuff Sagan is talking about and she knows next to no science.
Yes, but I think its true that its Sagan that brought it into "mainstream knowledge". Had Cosmos never been produced, would your wife have the same general knowledge about science that she has now?
posted by anastasiav at 12:50 PM on March 3, 2010
Yes, but I think its true that its Sagan that brought it into "mainstream knowledge". Had Cosmos never been produced, would your wife have the same general knowledge about science that she has now?
posted by anastasiav at 12:50 PM on March 3, 2010
Is Symphony of Science something deserving of an FPP for every song released?
Yes. Of course, if the mods feel differently, they will delete it. I am trying to share something with people that I find awesome. If you don't like it, you can flag the post or ignore it.
posted by Lobster Garden at 1:07 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yes. Of course, if the mods feel differently, they will delete it. I am trying to share something with people that I find awesome. If you don't like it, you can flag the post or ignore it.
posted by Lobster Garden at 1:07 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, I find it interesting that Symphony of Science songs have been posted before by people who aren't me.
posted by Lobster Garden at 1:15 PM on March 3, 2010
posted by Lobster Garden at 1:15 PM on March 3, 2010
Yes, I saw that after the comment. None explicitly tagged Symphony of Silence, which is why I missed it the first time through. Nonetheless, I think all but one of the posts are fairly lame, and yours in particular, with their inane repetition. You couldn't think of any other way to phrase it? Or to provide more information beyond geekgasmic lyrics? Even your via link is just a referral back to their site. Kind of lame.
Needless to say, I have flagged it, and I thought it was worth saying explicitly that I thought the post was lacking. Nothing against you personally, unless you're emotionally involved in pasting a link and a title and adding exclamation points.
posted by Rory Marinich at 1:27 PM on March 3, 2010
Needless to say, I have flagged it, and I thought it was worth saying explicitly that I thought the post was lacking. Nothing against you personally, unless you're emotionally involved in pasting a link and a title and adding exclamation points.
posted by Rory Marinich at 1:27 PM on March 3, 2010
That show has gotten a lot of praise for explaining science, but my wife pointed out it doesn't really do a ton of explaining. Even she already knows a lot of the stuff Sagan is talking about and she knows next to no science.
Cosmos is about making science accessible to those who feel that it is beyond them, hence the simplicity of many of the topics. It does do a lot of explaining, I think, particularly in regard to giving historical context to scientific breakthroughs. Part of the point is of course to inspire people to go out and learn more, but Sagan also wanted to use mass media to teach those whose education in science is deficient. He talks about this in "Demon-Haunted World" (which is really where he explores the importance of the attitudes behind science rather than actual scientific ideas).
posted by Lobster Garden at 2:06 PM on March 3, 2010
Cosmos is about making science accessible to those who feel that it is beyond them, hence the simplicity of many of the topics. It does do a lot of explaining, I think, particularly in regard to giving historical context to scientific breakthroughs. Part of the point is of course to inspire people to go out and learn more, but Sagan also wanted to use mass media to teach those whose education in science is deficient. He talks about this in "Demon-Haunted World" (which is really where he explores the importance of the attitudes behind science rather than actual scientific ideas).
posted by Lobster Garden at 2:06 PM on March 3, 2010
I thought it was worth saying explicitly that I thought the post was lacking.
You thought wrong. MetaTalk is for this exact thing. Regardless of the post quality, complaining about posts in the Blue is poor form. I'm flagging your comments - and mine - for deletion. Don't get Meta here.
posted by freebird at 2:27 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
You thought wrong. MetaTalk is for this exact thing. Regardless of the post quality, complaining about posts in the Blue is poor form. I'm flagging your comments - and mine - for deletion. Don't get Meta here.
posted by freebird at 2:27 PM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Had Cosmos never been produced, would your wife have the same general knowledge about science that she has now?
Right, I made that same point to her. Plus we had only watched the first episode at that point, which is little more than a bunch of "beauty and majesty of nature" introduction.
posted by DU at 4:44 PM on March 3, 2010
Right, I made that same point to her. Plus we had only watched the first episode at that point, which is little more than a bunch of "beauty and majesty of nature" introduction.
posted by DU at 4:44 PM on March 3, 2010
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