I just saw Angels & Demons, and I thought it was pretty good. The reviews were not that hot, but I enjoyed watching. I think having read the novel helped too, as I knew more or less what was going on. In some ways, I think the director made the movie assuming most people read the book, so some of the scenes were more about visualizing in a big way what was written. That can certainly break the flow of the storytelling, but I thought it was still pretty smooth. Overall, I had a relaxed good time.
I think another factor that made the movie enjoyable was that I had only recently been to Rome, and visited most of the important movie locations in person! Recognizing all the scenes and locations was a real enjoyment booster, because in my mind, I kept going "Wow I was just there!"
Angels & Demons attempts to tackle the Science versus Religion problem by phrasing it in terms of the Illuminati versus the Catholic Church. Of course, in the end, we find that the Illuminati isn't real, but rather, is a fabricated tool used to gain power by an insider of the Church. The original Illuminati were never so sinister. They were probably more like the characters on Big Bang Theory!
The overarching conflict, however, is not resolved. Science versus Religion. We see this argument all across the US today. In our colleges, in our high schools, the fight is very real. Do we teach Darwinism and the theory of evolution? Or creationism?
As a scientist, I believe that we should emphasize teaching the former over the latter. The theory of evolution has undergone significant scientific scrutiny over many decades, and has so far been able to withstand the onslaught of its doubters. But perhaps the emphasis should not be placed on how grand a thought experiment the theory was; or what a triumph of the human rationale it represents. Rather, we should use this as a fine and concrete example of how to conduct an experiment in the scientific way, which is a process of reductionism and logic and reason. We teach without boasting.
But we shouldn't ignore the voices of others. We can include the latter in electives, or as was done at my college, introduce the Gospels and other biblical texts as masterpieces of literature, which they rightfully are. Certainly in doing so, there would be no attempt to disrespect or de-emphasize the importance of the Holy Scriptures for the Faithful, but rather to teach how to objectively read words that are held so reverently by so many. From this perspective, one can see how beautifully written the Torah, Koran and Bible are, and understand how many believe these texts to be spoken by God.
So perhaps I offer no resolution on the Science versus Religion topic as well. But then, that begs another question. Really, must it be versus? Can we not have Science AND Religion?
I think another factor that made the movie enjoyable was that I had only recently been to Rome, and visited most of the important movie locations in person! Recognizing all the scenes and locations was a real enjoyment booster, because in my mind, I kept going "Wow I was just there!"
Angels & Demons attempts to tackle the Science versus Religion problem by phrasing it in terms of the Illuminati versus the Catholic Church. Of course, in the end, we find that the Illuminati isn't real, but rather, is a fabricated tool used to gain power by an insider of the Church. The original Illuminati were never so sinister. They were probably more like the characters on Big Bang Theory!
The overarching conflict, however, is not resolved. Science versus Religion. We see this argument all across the US today. In our colleges, in our high schools, the fight is very real. Do we teach Darwinism and the theory of evolution? Or creationism?
As a scientist, I believe that we should emphasize teaching the former over the latter. The theory of evolution has undergone significant scientific scrutiny over many decades, and has so far been able to withstand the onslaught of its doubters. But perhaps the emphasis should not be placed on how grand a thought experiment the theory was; or what a triumph of the human rationale it represents. Rather, we should use this as a fine and concrete example of how to conduct an experiment in the scientific way, which is a process of reductionism and logic and reason. We teach without boasting.
But we shouldn't ignore the voices of others. We can include the latter in electives, or as was done at my college, introduce the Gospels and other biblical texts as masterpieces of literature, which they rightfully are. Certainly in doing so, there would be no attempt to disrespect or de-emphasize the importance of the Holy Scriptures for the Faithful, but rather to teach how to objectively read words that are held so reverently by so many. From this perspective, one can see how beautifully written the Torah, Koran and Bible are, and understand how many believe these texts to be spoken by God.
So perhaps I offer no resolution on the Science versus Religion topic as well. But then, that begs another question. Really, must it be versus? Can we not have Science AND Religion?
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