Or so says NASA, at least: click here(YouTube)... Do you think that science can speak meaningfully to people's apocalyptic imaginations? Will people be persuaded by NASA? Why or why not?
8 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Science will not discourage teh beliefs in the end times since all religions teach it in some form. People also will have trouble believing NASA on this since people still have doubts about the moon landing. In the video excerpt they address several of the claims and are very persuasive in their explanations. However the one on polar shift adds doubt to all the claims made by these scientists. They say this only occurs every 500K years or so and takes thousands of years to happen. I find this hard to believe since the poles are shifting now and according to scientists the magnetic north pole has moved from being in upper Alaska to now being somewhere around southern Siberia. This is only in the last 40 years. at the same rate we are looking at polar shift within only a few hundred years if not sooner.
As he said in the end of the video, many proposed doom days have been waited for, all with no result. Expecting for the world to end in 2012 is ridiculous. NASA is going to be the group of people that knows the most about the subject and should be believed all 100%.
The gentleman in the video talked about cycles that the earth goes through and mankind lives by going through cycles such as using a calendar to keep track of days and we use watches and clocks to keep track of time. I believe it is time for the earth and mankind to go throught a cycle. If there is more to it the bible does say to be ready for God's return at any time. No worries.
I think that whether science can speak meaningfully to peoples’ apocalyptic imaginations depends on how they came to hold their views. If someone simply misinformed on the facts of the matter, correct scientific information could very likely change his or her opinion. However, if someone is emotionally invested in his or her apocalyptic beliefs, they will be less willing to change their views, and it could potentially be very difficult for even the most sound scientific reasoning to persuade him or her.
Ultimately, whether people trust a leading scientific agency such as NASA depends on their investment in their beliefs and their openness to scientific reasoning. Science has illuminated many things that were once mysteries, and I see no reason to begin to doubt it now.
It's an unfortunate fact that there are many people who are simply too stubborn to listen to logic and reason. Even when presented with scientific data and research, some will still choose to believe their own theories. The man in the video put it in very simple terms, the so-called "Mayan apocalypse" is nothing more than the end of a calendar, just like our new year. Despite these attempts to reason with people, I think that we will continue to have strong believers in the 2012 apocalypse, and when that time passes they will move on to a new theory. Perhaps the next end of the world will be in May 2013 with the solar activity reaches its maximum.
I think that whether science can sway people's beliefs will depend entirely on the individual. People will believe what they what to. Just as how it is with religion. Religion is based on belief but can shape a person whole outlook on life. The end is something unknown whether there is science to prove or disprove the means by which it could occur. Brandy
It is interesting (and somewhat confounding) that folks frequently prefer to 'go with their gut' as opposed to scientifically verified/falsified data. Then again, intuition is a powerful mental mechanism, and it likely carried adaptive survival benefits for our species in the past. Even now, we sometimes just 'feel' our way in to the right answer, no?
People will have their own beliefs, doubts and wild imaginations no matter what. I feel that a scientific explanation is more believable than the apocalyptic writing in religious texts. NASA is reputable enough for people to at least take into consideration that they probably know what they are talking about. Im sure of course the government doesn't tell us everything but ultimately its up to the individual to trust in ancient scripture or todays science.
8 comments:
Science will not discourage teh beliefs in the end times since all religions teach it in some form. People also will have trouble believing NASA on this since people still have doubts about the moon landing. In the video excerpt they address several of the claims and are very persuasive in their explanations. However the one on polar shift adds doubt to all the claims made by these scientists. They say this only occurs every 500K years or so and takes thousands of years to happen. I find this hard to believe since the poles are shifting now and according to scientists the magnetic north pole has moved from being in upper Alaska to now being somewhere around southern Siberia. This is only in the last 40 years. at the same rate we are looking at polar shift within only a few hundred years if not sooner.
Bob
As he said in the end of the video, many proposed doom days have been waited for, all with no result. Expecting for the world to end in 2012 is ridiculous. NASA is going to be the group of people that knows the most about the subject and should be believed all 100%.
Tazheem Rubio
The gentleman in the video talked about cycles that the earth goes through and mankind lives by going through cycles such as using a calendar to keep track of days and we use watches and clocks to keep track of time. I believe it is time for the earth and mankind to go throught a cycle. If there is more to it the bible does say to be ready for God's return at any time. No worries.
Lisa
I think that whether science can speak meaningfully to peoples’ apocalyptic imaginations depends on how they came to hold their views. If someone simply misinformed on the facts of the matter, correct scientific information could very likely change his or her opinion. However, if someone is emotionally invested in his or her apocalyptic beliefs, they will be less willing to change their views, and it could potentially be very difficult for even the most sound scientific reasoning to persuade him or her.
Ultimately, whether people trust a leading scientific agency such as NASA depends on their investment in their beliefs and their openness to scientific reasoning. Science has illuminated many things that were once mysteries, and I see no reason to begin to doubt it now.
Max Hesser-Knoll
It's an unfortunate fact that there are many people who are simply too stubborn to listen to logic and reason. Even when presented with scientific data and research, some will still choose to believe their own theories. The man in the video put it in very simple terms, the so-called "Mayan apocalypse" is nothing more than the end of a calendar, just like our new year. Despite these attempts to reason with people, I think that we will continue to have strong believers in the 2012 apocalypse, and when that time passes they will move on to a new theory. Perhaps the next end of the world will be in May 2013 with the solar activity reaches its maximum.
Erica
I think that whether science can sway people's beliefs will depend entirely on the individual. People will believe what they what to. Just as how it is with religion. Religion is based on belief but can shape a person whole outlook on life. The end is something unknown whether there is science to prove or disprove the means by which it could occur.
Brandy
It is interesting (and somewhat confounding) that folks frequently prefer to 'go with their gut' as opposed to scientifically verified/falsified data. Then again, intuition is a powerful mental mechanism, and it likely carried adaptive survival benefits for our species in the past. Even now, we sometimes just 'feel' our way in to the right answer, no?
pdk
People will have their own beliefs, doubts and wild imaginations no matter what. I feel that a scientific explanation is more believable than the apocalyptic writing in religious texts. NASA is reputable enough for people to at least take into consideration that they probably know what they are talking about. Im sure of course the government doesn't tell us everything but ultimately its up to the individual to trust in ancient scripture or todays science.
-Taylor Eckert
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