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Hi Ian,
Further reflecting on Dawkins' remarks, I don't so much have a problem with them, but I do think it's important not to over promise. Someone's wonder at the world, understanding of physical relations and and nature of things can being at a museum or via a media presentation, or talk, etc. but understanding and learning does take work; it's frequently hard, sometimes boring, sometimes lonely, sometimes isolating, infrequently social in nature, competitive and challenging, and it takes lots and lots of practice and abstraction to essence. A visit to a museum touches on aspects of this capability, but it certainly does not replace hard work, diligence, devotion, and intelligence. It's an important way of the beginning of sharing of knowledge.
We are all about cause and effect; it's about the way our brains are constructed. Everyone forms an narrative explanation of the world, some are more applicable than others, but all will start at some point and proceed.
Some stuff is gratuitous––as Dawkins points out. People claim sensory overload--it is true and what does it mean?
A future Einstein, Darwin, Mendel, Planck, Aristotle, Leonardo D'Vinci are not likely to emerge from repeated trips to a museum but it may help shape and structure their future development.
C
The Listserve saga continues!
>
>>
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Just letting you know that your message only came to me, not to the ASTC-L
>>> list. (Why does this keep happening to people I wonder?!)
>>>
>>> To answer your question, you might be interested to see this personal email
>>> apology Dawkins sent me in 1997, after I complained to him for criticising
>>> 'the Exploding Custard kind of science communication' at what was then known
>>> as the British Association annual meeting.
>>> (Attached)
>>>
>>> Despite his apology to me, the video shows him still ignorantly defaming the
>>> Trademarked name of my science show exactly ten years later.
>>>
>>> So, I expect he's also still criticising the Exploratorium...
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Charles Carlson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>>> Sent: 30 March 2013 18:32
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Re: Richard Dawkins, the Exploratorium and Exploding Custard
>>>
>>> Does anyone have any ideas whether he still holds that opinion?
>>>
>>> Sent from Charlie Carlson's iPad
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>> Cell 510-499-8086
>>> Try me on Skype (510) 984-3543
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I thought you folks should see what our (then) Oxford Professor of
>>>> Public Understanding of Science was saying about your San Francisco
>>>> Exploratorium in 2007.
>>>>
>>>> http://youtu.be/MNEnZq9UB8U
>>>>
>>>> I actually feel honoured that he also criticised my own Exploding
>>>> Custard science show in the same breath, despite confessing that he'd
>>> never seen it.
>>>>
>>>> I guess there are also influential opinion-formers in the USA with
>>>> similarly damaging ignorance about informal science education and
>>> communication.
>>>>
>>>> Another 'hard-to-reach' target audience!
>>>>
>>
>>
>>
The opinions and thoughts expressed here are my own and should in no way be construed or attributed to the Exploratorium or related organization, and do not represent an institutional position.
Charles Carlson
http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/
Twitter: @charliec53
email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 415-528-4319
Fax: 415-885-6011
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