On Science

2021

Human innovation, in my opinion, has always seemed to head for efficiency over all else. Even considering contemporary interest in ‘green’ technology, we have always looked for a better way to do things. That is, we see problem and we seek to solve it. Walking was slow, so we put wheels on carts and put animals on the reins. We invented the Internet because paper was slow; then the Internet was slow, so we made servers faster, made devices more powerful. Thus we have an increasingly fast-paced world which no generation since the Industrial Revolution has ever seen to slow down. In a sense, humanity is in its early 20s, vibrant and vigorous, optimistic about the future. But just as individuals will eventually age to settle down and grow wise, so I believe we too must eventually do so. I’m not sure we have a choice in the matter.

Humanity ricochets around existence, chaotically bouncing off obstacle after obstacle and learning to control its course through achievements of intellect such as science and philosophy. Will we ever mellow out? Our generation stands, perhaps, on the cusp of humanity in its 30s. Still just as vibrant, yet more careful and nuanced in its actions. We have made our mistakes, and we are at an age within which we may remember them and seek to improve.