Welcome to the first ever meeting of The Stephen T. Colbert Book Club for the Literary Excellence! We are going to continue the discussion of Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandries as we move on to the next sections.
Section Six: Science and Culture
- At the beginning of chapter 35, Tyson states that we are not wired for logical thinking. Given his evidence, do you think that is a fair statement?
- Money is money. Why don’t we pick it up?
- The String Theory is sort of the ultimate explanation. Is the theory just that – a theory? Do you think that physicists are over their heads, or is the answer we’ve been looking for all this time?
- Tyson makes mention of the International Dark-Sky Association in the 38th chapter. We invest a lot of time and money into preserving our Earth, do you think the sky deserves the same recognition?
- The chapter, “Hollywood Nights”? Go crazy! Personally, I love SCIPAL.
Section Seven: Science and God
- In the first chapter of section 7, “In the Beginning,” I really loved the last sentences. What are your thoughts on, “knowing where you came from is no less important than knowing where you are going”?
- On page 358, Tyson makes the claim that the universe in which we live is “a destructive, violent, and hostile zoo.” He writes of rogue asteroids and colliding comets. Do you think that this is true?
- I think the final page of the book, 362, is the perfect summation for this collection. How did you feel upon completion of Death by Black Hole?
I just want to take this chance to thank you all for your participation. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.
Please keep in mind the rules of the club.
I found the “Hollywood Nights” chapter simultaneously hilarious and insightful. Besides his discussion on Titanic, I loved his obervations regarding the soap opera As the World Turns. Since the sunrise and sunset were signature elements of the show, you would think they would have wanted to get these right! I also loved hearing his observations regarding the star-studded ceiling of the Grand Central Terminal since I was just there this past September. Now I want to return and see what Neil is talking about!
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I was curious as to where Neil stood in the battle between science and religion and I found it interesting when he chose to quote Galileo to at least partially represent his stance: “The Bible tells you how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.” (pg. 352) I think I can agree with this statement.
I think Neil further takes the stance that just because something is unknown now, we shouldn’t easily surrender this unknown to God, but rather we should explore it further. I can agree with this as well.
However, I had mixed feelings about this quote: “And I go misty with admiration for its[universe]splendor. But I do so knowing and accepting that if I propose a God who graces our valley of unknowns, the day may come, empowered by the advance of science, when no more valleys remain.” (pg. 352)
This quote seems to somewhat contradict what Neil was saying earlier in the book. He noted how often in the past scientists made the mistake of thinking there was nothing left to explore or understand. Neil seems to suggest a day will come when “no more valleys remain.” I find it hard to believe that day will ever come. (pg. 352)
Let’s say that day did come. I feel there would still be things one could never explain with science. Love is something intangible. I suppose you could discuss the chemicals in your brain affecting your emotions, but I just can’t believe you can whittle it down to that. I believe in body and soul.
I liked Galileo’s idea of there being two books written by God: the Bible and the book of nature. Although the Bible is a tangible book, there are so many layers to it and nuances still explored today. Since the book of nature is not condensed into one tangible book, there are naturally more loose ends and even more to explore.
Well, I’m sure this will be a more controversial topic. Let us agree to respectfully disagree:)
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My favorite quote from the book:
“And what comedian configured the region between our legs–an entertainment complex built around a sewage system?” ((pg. 360)
Haha! So funny because it’s so true!
P.S. Since the posts have dwindled for the book club this week, I feel no guilt in posting three times:)
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Yeah, it’s not that I forgot about the book club. I’ve just been freakishly busy, and wasn’t able to finish the book. I’m still working on it though, I’ll get there – just too late!
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Well, I’m afraid I only read the first 60 pages and the last 40 pages, so I can’t claim to have read the entire book myself.
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I just want to take this chance to thank you all for participating in the club. I know I have not personally contributed to the comments, but if you knew the weekend I had, you would understand.
Reading your comments was a treat, and helped me see other points of view regarding the book. I enjoyed reading DBBH a lot, and again, thanks for the participation!
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Same issue here with the freakishly busy weekend. However, I have almost finished the book and plan to post my thoughts about each chapter on the appropriate web page.
Knowing that I can chime in a little (read: days) later than I planned and people will still be in discussions about the book is one of the wonderful things about Book Clubs online vs meeting face to face.
Thanks again for setting this up, Val and any other Completist that were involved. Great idea!
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