Begin Trolling in 3...2...1..Now that I am studying engineering I learned that everything you see around you that is not natural owes its existence to engineers. The computer you are using to read this, the table it is sitting on, the box it came in, and the ink used to paint it all come from that thing that doesn't really mater.
Where did I say they didn't matter?
It's not that they "don't matter" or that they're "not important"; it's just that they're not good in and of themselves.
What use is a communications device, if you have no ideas to send back and forth across it? And if the
only ideas you have to send back and forth are those relating to further improvements on communication devices, well, that seems a bit pointless, doesn't it?
That's not to say that ideas for improving communication are useless--only that improving communication simply for the sake of being able to develop further improvements in communication is a bit circular. Improvements to communication only acquire a value outside themselves if they're used to transmit ideas about
living; about acquiring a better, more fulfilling life; about achieving the full potential of the human spirit and acquiring a fuller understanding of the human essence. That is the role of the humanities and the liberal arts; technical fields merely develop the tools that facilitate communicating such ideas. They're not useless, but they're also not an end in themselves--and to focus on them to the exclusion of the higher concepts that they must serve is, I believe, a grave and tragic error.
---------- Post added at 12:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 PM ----------
That's an odd statement to make in a space flight forum.
I can only see two reasons for it.
1. Absolute failure in science and technical fields.
2. Trolling.
Hardly the case, for either.
---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 PM ----------
For example, when did the arts develop an artificial heart or a machine to breathe for a person, to keep them alive?
What is the use of remaining alive, if the remainder of that life is empty and devoid of beauty, enjoyment, and fulfillment? This is exactly an example of how science and technology merely provide the means, while the study of the liberal arts and humanities provides the end.
ultimately When did the arts and humanities construct a nationwide transportation system, setting up the infrastructure for commerce and development? When did the arts cure diseases, provide systems to purify water, or put GPS satellites into orbit that help rescue crews save lost and injured people?
Essentially, the same point applies.
Without tools, what would we be? Picking berries for food? What about the tools such as paintbrushes and canvas, chisels and saws, and the many other tools used to create art? We'd still be smearing colored paste onto rocks if it wasn't for the people who create those things.
And again, that's just it--they're the tools. They're important, and quite useful--and I've never denied that--but they're not what
really matter. In the end, it's
human life (emphasis on the "human"--not just mere biological survival, but utilizing and appreciating the full extent of man's unique capacities) that matters.
What some people seem to not realize is that I'm far from a technical incompetent. I was initially majoring in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Purdue University, and performing excellently, when I had a late epiphany about what really mattered. I still enjoy computer programming and electronics design (especially radio and radio astronomy) as a hobby. But I realize where they must lie in the hierarchy--as merely a means to the proper end of moral and spiritual fulfillment that comes only from appreciation and understanding of art, of philosophy, of literature, of music, of history, of love, and of beauty--in other words, of REAL PEOPLE.
