The New Science

Science (sahy-uh ns)

1. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws:

the mathematical sciences.

2. systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and       experimentation.

3. any of the branches of natural or physical science.

4. systematized knowledge in general. (dictionary.com)

Science is a wonderful thing.
I mean think about it. According to townhall.com, in the last fifty years, science has brought us cellphones, artificial hearts, personal computers, satellites, internet, and my personal favorite, caribou coffee.


I am reading a book right now simply called "The Medical Book", which covers the biggest accomplishments of medicine in recorded history. It is amazing how much the various branches of science have contributed to making our lives easier, safer, and healthier. I have taken a botany, environmental biology, and astronomy course, and each course has taught me about the benefits of its respective field.

I learned that a big part of science is classification. Science helps man distinguish:

• moons from planets
• planets from stars
• fruits from vegetables 
• epidermis from dermis
• protons from electrons
• composite from simple (flowers)
• monocot from dicot
• mammal from reptile
• vertabrates from invertabrates
• alkali metals from actinides
• echinoderms from mollusks 
• sound from force
• electricity from magnetism
• man from woman

Wait, scratch that last one.

We all know gender is based on feelings. So what is wrong with altering what one is to become what one feels like? (I do believe there was a slight contradiction in that sentence.) According to yahoo.com, a man returned his wife's posthumously-given, woman of the year award to publicly display his disapproval of Caitlyn Jenner as a recipient this year. The man's wife had died on 9/11 after bringing hundreds of people to safety. He was insulted that the deeds of his wife would be equated with the deeds of "this man".

You can read the article here: https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/some-jerk-returned-his-wifes-woman-of-the-year-182557863.html

Do please note that, yes, the name "jerk" was inserted in the URL and not the article's title. Sneaky.

Why is everyone in such a hubbub about this? Well, either people are completely supportive of  a man who feels like a woman to be called a woman OR people's worlds has been rocked by a sudden lack of concreteness because, well, they just can't accept "facts".

But that's today's science for ya. As previous English major, I am terribly aware of the instability in our world. Literature, anyone? But I do not think gender is an unstable thing. Feelings definitely are. So who do we trust? I mean if inanimate objects had feelings and one of Jupiter's moons wanted to be considered a planet, would we consider it a planet? I mean, hey, sometime even science gets things "wrong". You mean Pluto's NOT a planet? But science, in some cases, is starting to move away from fact and into shaky ground called: theory.

If something is scientifically proven, it is a fact beyond all doubt, right? Then why does the scientific community not own up to its lack of beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt proof in some areas? Was not science supposed to promote curiosity and not slander potential progress made by those whose ideas are not politically correct? So much of today's science has moved from proof to argument.

This is why science scares me. It can prove that I evolved from a monkey, but it can't tell me what gender I am.

Rising Above: Abstract Notions

So another day comes and another day goes, but TODAY I learned how to play "Piano Man" on the harmonica. However, that is beside the point.

While I crawled into bed this evening, I grabbed my laptop and opened a new webpage. As is customary, I enjoy some music while I attempt to fall asleep with my ADD brain buzzing; and again starts the endless cycle of staying up worrying about falling asleep. Anyhoo, I opened this new tab and went to youtube to find some music. Like usual, while waiting for my video to load, a commercial appeared of which I was forced to watch at least about fifteen seconds. The commercial was about some concert to be held somewhere to unite people because of the terrible racial tensions in our country. I rolled my eyes and hit "skip ad" in hopes to get to a Simon and Garfunkel song eventually. Then I opened a word document.

I get it. As people, we want equality and justice. For the first time, I today watched the videos of Missouri University students and Yale students get involved in emotion-driven conversation (if it can be called such) over these issues; one girl in one video even blurted, "Humanity!" in defense of her and her fellow students' actions.

Equality. Justice. Humanity. What do these words even mean? I am pretty sure even Noah Webster would not understand these protesters based on their word choice.

Click below to see the article with both of these videos attached. The South Park bit at the very end is funny too:

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/children-are-charge

For instance, what does  equality mean? According to merriam-webster, equality is: the quality or state of being equal. This begs the question, what does equal mean? Equal: like for each member of a group, class, or society. Sounds fair, right? Equality is not this grandiose, abstract notion that any sort of special minority or group, according to differently constructed definitions, will always fight for but never receive. Gay marriage, anyone? At the time, that "socially constructed definition" of equality meant the ability to be recognized as married under the law. Well, they got that, but now you have to bake their cakes too. And if that does not make them happy, sensitivity training may be in your future.

These demands to not fall under equality as defined by Webster. What people are often asking for is those who disagree with them to not only tolerate them, but celebrate them. I never did understand this. I classify myself as a conservative. I am not going to be offended if my liberal friends do not celebrate my values! Is this not simple logic? 

Perhaps an attitude of gratefulness would do a lot for this country. I mean really, what does Christie Brinkly have that I don't have? Long legs, clear skin, nice teeth, lots of money... I am not equal to Christie Brinkley. But if I really wanted to be more like her, I could:

• Actually work out to make my short legs look longer
• Wash my face a million times a day
• Use super expensive whitening products
• Get a really good paying job based solely on my newly-found looks

The same opportunity for me to be a world-renowned model exists for me as it does for does for anyone. However, the potential to do well in a "lucrative" career such as modeling varies. If I do not posses the qualities that the general modeling industry is seeking, then that is the fault of my genetics, not the fault of the industry for having the standards it does.

I am grateful for my healthy, short, body. I am aware that if we all looked like Brinkley, then by no means would she be considered pretty. 'Cuz like Syndrome from the Incredibles says:

We are trying to create a utopia, which is kinda crazy because according to the definition of utopia, it can't be done. But, politics aside, there is one thing has really been bothering me today that follows the same logic:

Peace out.