I’m writing this in the culmination of several events. First, I had a great chat with John Horgan this afternoon for a Bloggingheads TV slot – it will be posted on Saturday 8th. I’ll be on a plane then, coming over to New York to see some friends, and to give a couple of talks – one at the Hayden Planetarium (which I’m very excited about) and one at John’s university, Stevens (which will be fun too).
Anyway, we talked about 13 Things stuff, obviously, but we also talked about today’s fantastic election result. I’m sitting at my office desk watching a fireworks display out of the window – today is our celebration of Bonfire Night, and nowhere does it better than Lewes, my home town (check out these pictures if you don’t believe me). But there’s gonna be plenty of celebrations going on right now in America too, I have no doubt.
In Lewes, bonfire night is about celebrating tolerance - mostly religious tolerance, because of the 17 protestant martyrs burned at the stake here in the 16th century. Obama’s election is also about the emergence of tolerance: listening to his acceptance speech, one couldn’t help but see how far America has come in terms of racial equality. I’m sure there’s more to be done, but as the man said, you have to respect the progress so far.
The optimism Obama brings is a youthful one: it makes everyone feel full of hope and that is a beautifully rejuvenating feeling. Interestingly, John said during our conversation, the combination of Obama’s election and reading a quote from Charles Darwin at the end of 13 Things filled him with an optimism for the future of science - that it's not all sewn up, and maybe there really are revolutions to come. And this from the man who literally wrote the book on Science’s demise!
This is the quote:
“I by no means expect to convince experienced naturalists whose minds are stocked with a multitude of facts all viewed, during a long course of years, from a point of view directly opposite to mine… I look with confidence to the future, to young and rising naturalists, who will be able to view both sides of the question with impartiality.”
The future direction of science belongs to the next generation of scientists. I like to think this is inspiring to the scientists who are in the generation that came out so effectively in support of Obama. Theirs is the political future – and the scientific future too. Hope springs eternal. Today, at least.
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