I've been lucky to meet few people who felt that scientific knowledge sucked the wonder out of the world, but I hear they are common. I have a hard time understanding that point of view. When I see the crescent moon in the night sky I imagine us in the context of the universe: the planets around the sun, the moon around the Earth, the stars and galaxies beyond. When I walk through a forest, with the knowledge that everything I see is the product of billions of years of evolution, I see a tapestry of immense depth and history.

One thing that's been annoying me recently are the prolific advertisements on the web for Mark Mathis and Ben Stein's upcoming movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Needless to say, I haven't seen it, nor do I know if I want to see it, given that it is in essence a creationist propaganda film that one reviewer (to whom I haven't linked) said would "make Goebbels proud."

Some people believe that if something cannot be explained with current scientific knowledge, it must be proof of God. An example commonly given by theists is that of bee's flight. Supposedly, tests in wind tunnels found that bee's bodies were not aerodynamic to maintain flight as birds do. Therefore, say the theists, God must be helping the bees fly.

Nychthemeron. The word of the day was Nychthemeron.

Nychthemeron: noun. A complete cycle of day and night. A word that seems so well defined, but whose solidity is an illusion. On what planet is this day and night taking place? How long is that day and night? Some planets are so snared by the gravity of their star that one face is always in the sun while the other is always in shadow. There is no cycle of day and night there, no rising and setting of the solar disk to herald the next great round. There you can touch eternity.

For the religious, soul is a very important notion. One of the problems many of a faithful disposition have with science is that it operates on a purely material view of the universe. That is, science posits that all phenomena, including human consciousness, can be explained through the interactions of matter. This leaves little room for an immaterial soul. But what exactly is soul, anyway?

I just heard today that scientists at the European Southern Observatory have discovered a possibly Earthlike planet orbiting another star at just the right distance to support liquid water!

Last night I watched Bill O'Riely's interview with Richard Dawkins regarding his book The God Delusion. I was disappointed, needless to say. It wasn't so much an "interview" as Bill O'Riely doing his "good ol' smackdown" while Dawkins tried to get a word in edgewise. Dawkin's composure was good, but nonetheless I'd hoped that he would walk all over O'Riely.

I recently read an article in the Washington Post by Lionel Shriver, journalist and author of We Need to Talk About Kevin. (Free subscription required to view article.) I am unfamiliar with Shriver and her books, but I found the article interesting.