After much thought and deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that E=mc2 is simply too dangerous to believe, so I have decided that it is not true. For those of you who are not familiar with exactly what that proposition stands for, it was part of Einstein’s theory of special relativity and it basically means that a large amount of energy can be released from a small amount of matter (energy = mass times the speed of light squared) (see http://www.doug-long.com/einstein.htm). This formula provided the foundation for the invention of the atomic bomb, which as we all know has been used with devastating results. The loss of human life has been unimaginable.
Now I understand that there is nothing inherent in the formula of E= mc2 per se that has caused the atrocious loss of life. But people certainly have taken that formula and used it as a means to exterminate large numbers of humanity. Therefore, because E= mc2 has been abused resulting in such horrible results, I have concluded that it must not be true.
Now, before you start blasting me too harshly, please note that I have some pretty distinguished company in my reasoning. Take Sam Harris, for example, the noted (and vigorously outspoken) atheist. In his book “Letter to a Christian Nation” he spends a good amount of time arguing against the existence of the Christian God based upon things like the crusades. At one point he even claims that early Christian anti-Semitism led to the ethnic cleansing during World War II several hundred years later. Mr. Harris is not alone in this argument. Many atheists repeatedly bring up all the suffering that has occurred under the alleged banner of Christianity to convince us that it is too dangerous to hold on to these types of religious beliefs.
Well, because it is so dangerous to believe that a religious system is true when it (like any other belief) is open to being abused, misinterpreted and misapplied with such dire consequences, I have decided that it is just too darn dangerous to believe in E= mc2 anymore. Why let something like pesky objective truth get in our way? We don’t need to concern ourselves with that. Any belief that is open to being abused should be discarded.
So I am launching my campaign to do away with this horribly dangerous scientific belief. No more Einstein! Holding to this outrageous belief system has a proven track record of being abused, leading to astonishingly deadly results. Let’s all join with Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the other new atheists and make a new year’s resolution to rid this world of the hazards of Albert Einstein!
Happy New Year!
3 comments:
An interesting line of thought Ken.
Of course, we both know that simply because something is abused, misrepresented and used for harm rather than good doesn't make it not true but then I have a feeling that is your point.
Truth is not relative. It either is or it isn't. Something might be true of me and not true of you and we might even say that something is considered true by me and not considered true by you but the harsh reality is that while we are stuck trying to fight our way through a mesh of shades of grey there are black and white out there waiting to be found.
The truth might be complex and it might be that something we consider true is not the whole truth but only an element of it... Of course, that doesn't prevent it from still being true in its own right, it only means that we should exercise caution whenever we try to apply it to something else where we are as yet unsure of the truth - for in our application we may risk errancy.
Nevertheless and interesting thought...
Happy New Year to you and your family,
Blessings,
Alex
Great comment, Alex Millington.
Thank you Alex for grasping the sarcasm. Yes, that was exactly my point.
Ken
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