Note: This discussion contains spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron; I recommend watching the film first. I come to praise Joss Whedon, not to bury him. There is much to enjoy about Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it touches on a number of themes worthy of further exploration. Astonishing visuals do a lot of narrative heavy lifting; the action choreography reveals a lot about the characters and their relationships. Consequently, the film has plenty of opportunities to share what's on its mind. And apparently, that's … [Read more...] about Science in Review: Playing God
science in review
Science in Review: Science Orthodoxy
"How Do I Show Religious Freaks That Science Wins?" So that happened in my Facebook feed this week. The title was obviously provocative. The fact that someone asked that of musician and party enthusiast Andrew W.K. of all people was fascinating and puzzling, although to be fair his response was reasonably measured and avoided the bait provided by the question. What most intrigued me, though, was the sentiment that "science wins." Is winning something that science aspires to? … [Read more...] about Science in Review: Science Orthodoxy
Miracles: As You Wish
This is the fifth in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, this post for part 1, this post for part 2, this post for part 3, and this post for part 4. Four weeks ago, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at how human monarchs influence our perception of God as king. Then, we considered the metaphor of the law as it relates to our understanding of the natural world, and explored how the ideas of will and of grace might … [Read more...] about Miracles: As You Wish
Miracles: A Donkey and His King
This is the fourth in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, this post for part 1, this post for part 2, and this post for part 3. Three weeks ago, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at how human monarchs influence our perception of God as king. Then, we considered the metaphor of the law as it relates to our understanding of the natural world, and explored how the ideas of will and of grace might be used to frame a … [Read more...] about Miracles: A Donkey and His King
Miracles: Chaos in Control
This is the third in a 5 week series exploring the relationship between miracles and science. See this Science Corner post for a prelude, this post for part 1 and this post for part 2. Two weeks ago, we started our exploration of miracles by looking at how human monarchs influence our perception of God as king. Last week, we considered the possibility that the metaphor of laws may not be the best fit for describing how the universe works. I proposed the idea of will as the basis for an alternative description. … [Read more...] about Miracles: Chaos in Control