"Call me Ishmael" - Moby Dick & 'The Science Tide'

There is a quote from Herman Melville's novel 'Moby Dick' which had a profound impact on me.

"Me thinks that in looking at things spiritual, we are too much like oysters observing the sun through the water, and thinking that thick water the thinnest of air."

In the context of the 19th century American classic, this line refers to those who are religiously-inclined believing that their beliefs are true and absolute, whereas faith is in fact a personal interpretation, blurred to the eye of the beholder.

I feel the same is true for science. If the sun represents scientific proof and we humans are the oysters, the water dividing us is the limitations of our technology to study and understand the world around us. As we as a species and civilization progress, so too does our capacity to comprehend the scientific properties which dictate our life in the universe.

Unlike Melville's oysters however, we have the capacity to accept the watery divide, gradually and methodically thinning the aqueous layer by technological advances, revealing a clearer picture of that which we observe.

It is these advances in technology and the scientific discoveries they lead to which interest me, and provide answers to the seemingly infinite unknowns of the world which we inhabit. The tools we employ to validate (or refute) scientific principles are just like the ocean tides dictating the shoreline.

It is my goal with this blog to entertain, educate, and hopefully spark an interest in the exciting flow of 'The Science Tide'.