The Magic of Reality: How we know what's really true
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- Create Date：2021-05-28 07:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Richard Dawkins
- ISBN：0552778907
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Summary
Magic takes many forms。 The ancient Egyptians explained the night by suggesting that the goddess Nut swallowed the sun。 The Vikings believed a rainbow was the gods' bridge to earth。 These are magical， extraordinary tales。 But there is another kind of magic， and it lies in the exhilaration of discovering the real answers to these questions。 It is the magic of reality - science。
Packed with inspiring explanations of space， time and evolution， laced with humour and clever thought experiments， The Magic of Reality explores a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena。 What is stuff made of？ How old is the universe？ What causes tsunamis？ Who was the first man， or woman？ This is a page-turning， inspirational detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist too。
Richard Dawkins elucidates the wonders of the natural world to all ages with his inimitable clarity and exuberance in a text that will enlighten and inform for generations to come。
Packed with inspiring explanations of space， time and evolution， laced with humour and clever thought experiments， The Magic of Reality explores a stunningly wide range of natural phenomena。 What is stuff made of？ How old is the universe？ What causes tsunamis？ Who was the first man， or woman？ This is a page-turning， inspirational detective story that not only mines all the sciences for its clues but primes the reader to think like a scientist too。
Richard Dawkins elucidates the wonders of the natural world to all ages with his inimitable clarity and exuberance in a text that will enlighten and inform for generations to come。
Reviews
Soukyan Blackwood
，
all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimuAbout the Book: With great passion author tells us how magical our reality is。 And how unfair it is to call things we don’t understand – supernatural。 That sort of implies it cannot be explained and creates a dead end for progress。 Instead， he tells us myths that explained earthquakes and rainbows and what they really are。 Tells us how we know there are planets out there， and how we found out that Earth isn’t， in fact， f all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimuAbout the Book: With great passion author tells us how magical our reality is。 And how unfair it is to call things we don’t understand – supernatural。 That sort of implies it cannot be explained and creates a dead end for progress。 Instead， he tells us myths that explained earthquakes and rainbows and what they really are。 Tells us how we know there are planets out there， and how we found out that Earth isn’t， in fact， flat or at the center of the universe。 Author tells us， in short， that the very fact we are here， made out of stardust， is magic itself， even if we know the science behind it。My Opinion: A very interesting and very engaging book。 Went from cover to cover in one sitting and regret nothing。 There’s some science， not too much， with author very willingly admitting to the things he doesn’t know， understand， and therefor – cannot explain to us。 The rest is just beautiful bunch of pointing in awe， look at this， look at that， do you know what ancient people called this？ The only con I have got downgraded at the end。 Author seemed to be very condescending towards people with different beliefs。 But by the end of the book I realized that it is because he feels like it devalues otherwise a priceless phenomena。 。。。more
Suneet Bhatt
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Informative。 Pedantic。 Not my style。It’s three stars because there’s objectively sound information on the book。 It’s redeeming for most to read。 That said， I hated it。 :） Not my style。
Paula Monica
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A must-read book。
Anastasia
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4。5
Harikrishnan
，
The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins is an excellent introductory book into critical thinking and understanding the science behind life， universe and reality itself。 The book， primarily aimed at a younger audience， is a great starter guide for anyone wanting to challenge superstitions and myths and reflect more upon science to have a better understanding of everything around and/or within us。 A quick and breezy read， this is definitely recommend for anyone who is inquisitive and willing to op The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins is an excellent introductory book into critical thinking and understanding the science behind life， universe and reality itself。 The book， primarily aimed at a younger audience， is a great starter guide for anyone wanting to challenge superstitions and myths and reflect more upon science to have a better understanding of everything around and/or within us。 A quick and breezy read， this is definitely recommend for anyone who is inquisitive and willing to open up to scientific thinking。 。。。more
Magid
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It is a fun book to read， Richard starts most of the chapters with myths about the topic and then proceeds to explain the science。 Most of the myths were new to me but I knew most of the science， I have still learned something new from each chapter。 The book is best suited for high schoolers level， but it's still a blast to read。 It is a fun book to read， Richard starts most of the chapters with myths about the topic and then proceeds to explain the science。 Most of the myths were new to me but I knew most of the science， I have still learned something new from each chapter。 The book is best suited for high schoolers level， but it's still a blast to read。 。。。more
Vivek Nambiar
，
Richard Dawkins can never disappoint。 Clear and precise as always
Prosper
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Simple well written。Beautifully written book， very well thought out and simplified。 Richard Dawkins approached the topic with such an ease and makes a lot of thought provoking arguments。
ines
，
This book is fantastic and I think everybody should read it （unless you are a scientist and very knowledgeable， then you know all of these things）。It's especially suited for people who don't have a great knowledge in science as Mr。 Dawkins explains everything from evolution to our Solar system and some scientific principles in a very accessible way。 It's a very good book to give to young people to read because it encompasses all of the sciences and the fundamental things that everyone ought to k This book is fantastic and I think everybody should read it （unless you are a scientist and very knowledgeable， then you know all of these things）。It's especially suited for people who don't have a great knowledge in science as Mr。 Dawkins explains everything from evolution to our Solar system and some scientific principles in a very accessible way。 It's a very good book to give to young people to read because it encompasses all of the sciences and the fundamental things that everyone ought to know。 As I already said， he does this in a very easy to understand way and doesn't use a lot of the scientific jargon because this book is aimed toward younger people and those who aren't as educated in the sciences。 This book does a wonderful job of bringing science closer to the masses and explains the world to us。 。。。more
زاهي رستم
，
كتاب ممتاز。。 وأهم ما يميزه الفصل بين العلم والخزعبلات وبأسلوب بسيط يستطيع القارى مهما كانت درجة ثقافته من فهم فقراته وفصوله。。 ولكن لو كانت فصوله مدعمة بصور تخصصية。。 لكن الكتاب أفضل وأبسط بكثير。。جدير بالقراءة。。
John Smyth
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In this book Dawkins has made science easy to understand from the formation of the Universe to the evolution of the world as we see it today。 I wish this book had been available some 60 years ago and I might have followed a science path in my education。 I shall certainly recommend it to my grandchildren。
Tabish Khan
，
I'm a big fan of Dawkins， loved The God Delusion， The Greatest Show on Earth and The Selfish Gene。Only after I started this did I realise it was written for teenagers but in truth it would be a great read for an adult who doesn't have too much of a grounding in science too。 He writes clearly and it's a clever set up to show what myths exist around alien life and natural events like earthquakes， before using science to prove what we know to be true。 He has his usual digs at religion but is a tad I'm a big fan of Dawkins， loved The God Delusion， The Greatest Show on Earth and The Selfish Gene。Only after I started this did I realise it was written for teenagers but in truth it would be a great read for an adult who doesn't have too much of a grounding in science too。 He writes clearly and it's a clever set up to show what myths exist around alien life and natural events like earthquakes， before using science to prove what we know to be true。 He has his usual digs at religion but is a tad more restrained here given the audience。Most of the facts in this book I knew but it's a handy refresher and his style makes it a pleasure to read。 Not as revelatory as his other books but then it was never intended to be。 。。。more
Subhasree তন্নি
，
The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True is targeted to teenage and pre-adolescent readers but people from all age group would definitely enjoy this illustrious book。Professor Dr。 Richard Dawkins is a great explainer。 Unlike most of his other books which are basically focused on the theory of evolution by Natural Selection， Dr。 Dawkins here attempts to explain some natural phenomenon such as rainbow， earthquake along with other topics by the findings of science。 There are discussion The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True is targeted to teenage and pre-adolescent readers but people from all age group would definitely enjoy this illustrious book。Professor Dr。 Richard Dawkins is a great explainer。 Unlike most of his other books which are basically focused on the theory of evolution by Natural Selection， Dr。 Dawkins here attempts to explain some natural phenomenon such as rainbow， earthquake along with other topics by the findings of science。 There are discussion on theory of evolution too in the second and third chapter。 There are also many myths coming down to us from ancient ages。 But it is the experimental methods of scientific discovery that triumphs over the misconceptions。 Let us have a glance at the headlines to each chapter: 1。 What is reality？ What is magic ？2。 Who was the first person ？3。 Why are there so many different kinds of animals ？4。 What are things made of ？5。 Why do we have night and day， winter and summer ？6。 What is the sun ？7。 What is a rainbow ？8。 When and how did everything begin ？9。 Are we alone ？10。 What is an earthquake？11。 Why do bad things happen ？12。 What is a miracle ？ My personal favorites are the seventh， ninth， eleventh and twelfth chapter。 Chapter no。 9 is quite speculative。 The concluding two chapters really have knocked my socks off--those are absolutely gems。 It had been a nice experience to brush up the topics I already knew simply because the author speaks so much engagingly: the entire ebullience is venomous so to speak。 It is shocking and bizarre that those who dislike Dr。 Dawkins and send innumerable hate mails to him don't even bother to open this book before throwing eggs at him！ The last paragraph of the last chapter reads--"Miracles， magic and myths--they can be fun， and we have had fun with them throughout this book。 Everybody likes a good story， and I hope you enjoyed the myths with which I began most of my chapters。 But even more I hope that， in every chapter， you enjoyed the science that come after the myths。 I hope you agree that the truth has a magic of its own。 The truth is more magical--in the best and most exciting sense of the word--than any myth or made-up mystery or miracle。 Science has its own magic: the magic of reality。" An excellent read ！ 。。。more
Riska
，
Buku ini menjawab beberapa pertanyaan saya tentang alam semesta dengan bahasa yang cenderung mudah dipahami bagi orang awam dan pemula seperti saya。 Sepanjang buku dihiasi oleh gambar grafis yang membuat saya sebagai pembaca minat untuk menikmati tiap lembar dari buku ini。 Dawkins mampu bercerita tentang semesta yang begitu banyaknya realitas yang magis。 Begitu besar semesta sehingga banyak tersembunyi rahasia-rahasia yang belum terpecahkan sampai saat ini。
Noah
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I liked the part where science。
Nick Wall
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Written very accessibly， not much detail but some interesting references to creation myths from a variety of cultures。
David Franklin
，
Interesting I enjoyed this book。 Once you realize that all religions are the same， it becomes easier to have empathy for those that believe。 Lots of information for those looking for truth。 Unfortunately you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped。
Sue
，
I notice in the blurb that Magic of Reality is geared for 'readers of all ages。' Clearly， I'm one of those！ I never got to grips with physics at school， nor was it even offered in my case （a keen art student）， but by using ancient myths as his point of departure， R Dawkins had me hooked very quickly。 And the illustrator deserves a Nobel Prize！ What a coup to have two geniuses from different ends of the spectrum collaborate like this。 From Dawkins I expected more stridency， more dissing myths and I notice in the blurb that Magic of Reality is geared for 'readers of all ages。' Clearly， I'm one of those！ I never got to grips with physics at school， nor was it even offered in my case （a keen art student）， but by using ancient myths as his point of departure， R Dawkins had me hooked very quickly。 And the illustrator deserves a Nobel Prize！ What a coup to have two geniuses from different ends of the spectrum collaborate like this。 From Dawkins I expected more stridency， more dissing myths and religion， yet his gentle approach in this book is palatable for the many believers out there who find him unsettling。 I learned more about DNA and liked the way he put across the infinite process of evolution。 I struggled with the relative scale of what is contained in an atom （the relative distance of the electron orbiting the nucleus really messes with one's mind）。 I loved this reading experience; it was a book I didn't seek out， yet I am the richer for it。 How I would like to have Bill Bryson's 'A History of almost Everything' and Dawkins' 'The Magic of Reality' prescribed for every junior high-schooler。 5/5 。。。more
Kevin Shepherd
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Written for younger readers， ‘The Magic of Reality’ is a superb， easy to understand introduction to science and the scientific method。 Dawkins puts biology， geology and astronomy in terms that anyone can understand， while simultaneously infusing every syllable with a sense of wonder and awe。 His passion for science， all science， is downright contagious - making this an ideal book for that budding astrophysicist or anthropologist in the family （or that scientifically illiterate relation who still Written for younger readers， ‘The Magic of Reality’ is a superb， easy to understand introduction to science and the scientific method。 Dawkins puts biology， geology and astronomy in terms that anyone can understand， while simultaneously infusing every syllable with a sense of wonder and awe。 His passion for science， all science， is downright contagious - making this an ideal book for that budding astrophysicist or anthropologist in the family （or that scientifically illiterate relation who still swears by astrology or dianetics or Oral Roberts）。 。。。more
Brit McCarthy
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Another good offering from Dawkins， written with a younger audience in mind。 Before I realised this though， I thought he was really talking down to the reader， particularly in the intro！ And while he probably could have checked his condescending tone， it wasn't as prominent in the following chapters。I enjoy the idea of appreciating 'the magic of reality' and the science of things that seem unexplainable （but aren't） especially as I sit here watching the sun rise over the fields behind my house。 Another good offering from Dawkins， written with a younger audience in mind。 Before I realised this though， I thought he was really talking down to the reader， particularly in the intro！ And while he probably could have checked his condescending tone， it wasn't as prominent in the following chapters。I enjoy the idea of appreciating 'the magic of reality' and the science of things that seem unexplainable （but aren't） especially as I sit here watching the sun rise over the fields behind my house。 Dawkins busts myths and paints a picture of the how and why seemingly magical things occur in our world and further out into the universe。 Like it a lot！ All the science。 。。。more
Tay
，
ريتشارد دوكنز هو عالم بريطاني بيولوجي، أصدر عدة كتب علمية ومن ضمنها هذا الكتاب。 وقبل أن نتطرق لمواضيع الكتاب فإن العنوان والغلاف ملفتان بشكل جذّاب ويوحيان للفكرة الأساسية للكتاب。 يسعى دوكنز لإبطال الخرافات والأساطير الدينية _الغير منطقية والشائعة_ حول حقيقة الواقع بالعلم: "السبب الوحيد المناسب للاعتقاد في وجود شيء ما، هو الأدلة الحقيقية عليه"، يستهل بداية كل فصل بأساطير وخرافات تنافي المنطق حول ظاهرة طبيعية أو كونية معينة، ثم يُتبعها بتوضيح السبب العلمي لتلك الظاهرة وعادة ما يكون شرح سهل بدون تع ريتشارد دوكنز هو عالم بريطاني بيولوجي، أصدر عدة كتب علمية ومن ضمنها هذا الكتاب。 وقبل أن نتطرق لمواضيع الكتاب فإن العنوان والغلاف ملفتان بشكل جذّاب ويوحيان للفكرة الأساسية للكتاب。 يسعى دوكنز لإبطال الخرافات والأساطير الدينية _الغير منطقية والشائعة_ حول حقيقة الواقع بالعلم: "السبب الوحيد المناسب للاعتقاد في وجود شيء ما، هو الأدلة الحقيقية عليه"، يستهل بداية كل فصل بأساطير وخرافات تنافي المنطق حول ظاهرة طبيعية أو كونية معينة، ثم يُتبعها بتوضيح السبب العلمي لتلك الظاهرة وعادة ما يكون شرح سهل بدون تعقيد وهذا ما يميز الكتاب ويجعله مناسب لكل الفئات。 ومن الجدير بالذكر حتى لا تقع في ظلال بأن الكاتب يحاول إيصال رسالته الإلحادية بين سطور الكتاب، وبالرغم من أن العلم الحديث يتفق كثير مع ما ورد في القرآن الكريم ولكن المعلومات التي ذكرها بشأن حقيقة الإنسان تتبع نظرية داروين للتطور التي تخالف نظرة الإسلام。 ومن وجهة نظري إنه كتاب رائع كمقدمة طريفة للعلوم。 。。。more
SaraKat
，
This was an introductory level text that explains some of the mysteries of the world for people interested in knowing more about basic science principles。 I read it as an app that included animated pictures and some built-in activities。 I liked that format， but the book would have been as good if I read a regular paper version。 Each chapter starts with a description of myths that have been used to explain a particular scientific phenomenon over the course of human history。 Then the author explai This was an introductory level text that explains some of the mysteries of the world for people interested in knowing more about basic science principles。 I read it as an app that included animated pictures and some built-in activities。 I liked that format， but the book would have been as good if I read a regular paper version。 Each chapter starts with a description of myths that have been used to explain a particular scientific phenomenon over the course of human history。 Then the author explains the actual scientific reasons for the phenomenon。 I liked the format and even though I have a pretty strong science background， I learned a few things。 The author is pretty aggressively anti-religion， so if you don't appreciate religious stories being referred to as myths， you probably won't enjoy this book。 。。。more
Diane Russell
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Written as explanation， giving the science behind or debunking traditional beliefs。
A
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بداية قرأتي له كانت في بدايات 2020 حتى2021 تمهلت في قرأته بسبب أخباري أن الكاتب ملحد و يدس السم في العسل。。。 لذلك تهملت لأرى هل هذا صحيح ام لا وحينما أسال من يخبرني بهذه الخرافة،، هل قرأت هذا الكتاب يقول: لالكن （بي كيرفل） ！！！ عالعموم ريتشاردز دوكينز لم يأتي بالجديد ولا أمر مُسْتهجَن ولا لطالما كنت أومن بأن العلم هو ذو سيف حاد قاطع للشك وهو اليقين لكل سؤال يخطر على بالك。。 فستجده مباشرة يجيب عليه العلم دون لف أو دوران。。。كتاب جميل جدا أنصح الجميع بقرأته
Ahmad Deeb
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من الكتب القليلةالتي تقرأ。。。لمرات ومرات。。
Rizky Arya
，
Dawkins juga dikenal sebagai penulis yang karyanya laris di dunia， salah satunya buku ini， The Magic of Reality。 Berbeda dari buku-buku sains popular yang ‘kaku’， buku ini justru disajikan dengan cara sederhana。Ada 12 bab dalam buku ini， hampir semua bab diawali dengan pertanyaan sederhana dan mendasar tentang kehidupan， seperti : Apa itu realitas ？ Apa itu sihir ？ Siapakah orang pertama ？ Mengapa ada banyak jenis hewan ？ Segala sesuatu terbuat dari apa ？ Kapan dan bagaimana segalanya bermula ？ Dawkins juga dikenal sebagai penulis yang karyanya laris di dunia， salah satunya buku ini， The Magic of Reality。 Berbeda dari buku-buku sains popular yang ‘kaku’， buku ini justru disajikan dengan cara sederhana。Ada 12 bab dalam buku ini， hampir semua bab diawali dengan pertanyaan sederhana dan mendasar tentang kehidupan， seperti : Apa itu realitas ？ Apa itu sihir ？ Siapakah orang pertama ？ Mengapa ada banyak jenis hewan ？ Segala sesuatu terbuat dari apa ？ Kapan dan bagaimana segalanya bermula ？ Apa itu matahari ？ Apa itu pelangi ？ Apa itu gempa ？ Mengapa ada siang dan malam ？ Apa diluar bumi ada kehidupan ？ Sebelum menjawab pertanyaan itu dari sudut pandang sains， Dawkins terlebih dahulu menceritakan mitos-mitosnya。 Jadi， selain mendapat pengetahuan dari sisi Sains， pembaca juga bertambah wawasasannya mengenai mitos-mitos / legenda / kisah klasik tentang alam semesta yang berbeda-beda di setiap daerah， setiap bangsa dan juga setiap agama。Selanjutnya ada disini : https://kepinganarya。blogspot。com/202。。。 。。。more
Alexis Williams
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This was my first nonfiction on tape。 It's slow。 It takes an hour to describe a concept that could be described in a couple sentences， which is perfect because it gives time for the idea to really blossom in the mind。 The book begins by explaining how science works as a method of understanding things and how we know what we know。 He uses examples that I am very interested in like how fossils are formed， and how we use them to understand what was here before us。 Lots of these ideas are things I e This was my first nonfiction on tape。 It's slow。 It takes an hour to describe a concept that could be described in a couple sentences， which is perfect because it gives time for the idea to really blossom in the mind。 The book begins by explaining how science works as a method of understanding things and how we know what we know。 He uses examples that I am very interested in like how fossils are formed， and how we use them to understand what was here before us。 Lots of these ideas are things I enjoy thinking about like evolutionary drift and how genes shape a body。 The level of communication frequently ossilates from elementary to Quantum physics which I suppose means there's stuff here for any level of understanding。I enjoyed the parts about how cause and effect and often confused with purpose and how this lead into discussion of natural selection and evolution if paranoia and superstition and then to how immunity works。 He begins each chapter with a few examples of myths that explain what he will explain scientifically， which gets tedious because he only does it as an opportunity to ridicule people who have a different point if view， or what he sees as a different point of view form him。 It would have been nicer to read about him feeling connected to people with different world views in different times and places who ponder the same things as he does。 Instead he laughs at other people's misunderstandings。 Ridicules people who confuse cause and purpose and then goes on to do it himself by saying that our immune systems are taylor made to attack specific parasites。 Suggests that auto immune diseases are an evolutionary work in progress to kill cancer， as if our own evolution happens with intention and purpose rather than being caused by natural selection。 I do agree with all his science and his examples and enjoyed listening to his explanations but don't see why he would bother to insist that calling something a miracle is Lazy nonsense。 He does not try to understand that science can be considered miracle or that there is more than one way to interpret and experience the world or the language used to express things that we don't understand。 。。。more
Jake Crozier
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（3。5）
Braxton Lewis
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•treality doesn't just consist of the things we already know about: it also includes things that exist but that we don't know about yet and won't know about until some future time•tit is likely that our descendants will know about many more things that， for now， we do not。•tSupernatural magic is the kind of magic we find in myths and fairy tales。•tbut we all know this kind of magic is just function and does not happen in reality。•tA man on stage deceives us into thinking that something astonishi •treality doesn't just consist of the things we already know about: it also includes things that exist but that we don't know about yet and won't know about until some future time•tit is likely that our descendants will know about many more things that， for now， we do not。•tSupernatural magic is the kind of magic we find in myths and fairy tales。•tbut we all know this kind of magic is just function and does not happen in reality。•tA man on stage deceives us into thinking that something astonishing has happened when what really happened was something quite different。•tpoetic magic。 We are moved to tears by a beautiful piece of music and we describe the performance as 'magical'。•tdeeply moving， exhilarating: something that gives us goose bumps， something that makes us feel more fully alive。•twe approach closer and closer to what is true。•twe don't notice any particular pattern in the vast majority of deals that are made， so they don't strike us as anything out of the ordinary。 We only notice the deals that happen to stand out in some way。•tPeople therefore invented stories to try to explain it。•tanything that suggests that complicated life forms appeared suddenly， in one go （rather than evolving gradually step by step）， is just a lazy story - no better than the fictional magic of a fairy godmother's wand。•tAll peoples around the world have origin myths， to account for where they came from。 Many tribal origin myths talk only about that one particular tribe - as though other tribes don't count！•tThe genes that survive in a gene pool are the genes that are good at surviving。•tBook Reference: Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense•tThe Greek for 'cut' is tomos， and if you stick an 'a' in front of a Greek word it means 'not' or 'you can't'。 So 'a-tomic' means something too small to be cut any smaller。•tA scientific model is a way of thinking about how things might be。•tthe model probably represents the truth， or at least a part of the truth。•tWe are here moving into a wonderland of the mysterious。 And it is important to recognize when we reach the limits of what we understand。•tThis chapter has been unusual in that it didn't begin with a list of myths。•tand yet none of the myths or so-called holy books that some people， even now， think were giving to us by an all-knowing god， mentions them at all！ 。。。they don't contain any of the knowledge that science has patiently worked out。•tOur lives are dominated by two great rhythms， one much slower than the other。 The fast one is the daily alternation between dark and light， and the slow one is the yearly alternation between winter and summer•tMany myths and legends from all around the world have the same odd feature: a particular incident happens once， and then， for reasons never explained， the same thing goes on happening again and again for ever。•tWhenever things change rhythmically with great precision， scientists suspect that either something is swinging like a pendulum or something is rotating; going round and round。•tIt can be hard to tell the difference between apparent movement and real movement。•tall life needs energy•tHow do all these legends start， I wonder？ Who makes them up， and why do some people eventually come to believe these things really happened？•tThe fact that our eyes can see through only a tiny slit in the middle of the vast spectrum， that we can see only a slender band in the huge range of rays that scientific instruments can see， is a lovely illustration of the power of science to excite our imagination: a lovely example of the magic of the real。•tscientists work by setting up models' of how the real world might be？ They then test each model by using it to make predictions of the things that we ought to see - or measurements that we ought to be able to make - if the model were correct。•tscientists know when they don't know the answer to something。•tnot knowing the answer is an exciting challenge to try to find it。•treduce the uncertainty， might take us from guesswork to an estimate of likelihood。•tThe higher the resolution， the closer two points can be to each other while still being distinguished from each other。•tOur search for knowledge of physics and chemistry and biology equips us to seek out meaningful information about stars and planets vast distances away， and to identify planets that are at least possible candidates as hosts for life。•tarmed with science， we can at least ask sensible， meaningful questions about it and recognize credible answers when we find them•twe have the joy and excitement of real scientific investigation and discovery to keep our imaginations in line。•tMurphy's Law， sometimes called Sod's Law•tThere is a bias in our likelihood of noticing annoyance•tThere is no special reason to ask， 'Why do bad things happen？' Or， for that matter， 'Why do good things happen？' The real question underlying both is the more general question: 'Why does anything happen？'•tpeople sometimes use reason in a very different sense， to mean something like 'purpose'。•tIf you are a rabbit， a fox is out to get you。 If you are a minnow， a pike is out to get you•ta virus is out to get you。•tThere are enemies out there， shaped by natural selection to behave as though they were scheming to kill me。 The world is not neutral and indifferent to my welfare。•tSod's Law may or may not be true， but behaving as if it is true is safer than behaving as if Pollyanna's Law is true。•tI can't help wondering whether people with a hyperactive immune system， who pay the penalty of allergies or even auto-immune diseases， might be less likely to suffer from certain kinds of viruses and other parasites。•tHumans are social animals， the human brain is pre-programmed to see the faces of other humans even where there aren't any。•twe only bother to tell stories when strange coincidences happen - not when they don't。•tstories grow in the telling and re-telling… exaggerate… just a little… make it a bit more colorful•tMiracles would be very disturbing indeed to science•tIf you claim that anything odd must be 'supernatural' you are not just saying you don't currently understand it; you are giving up and saying that it can never be understood。•tArthur C。 Clarke summed the point up as Clarke's Third Law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic。•tThis is something we don't yet understand， but we're working on it。 。。。more
Mark Davidson
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