Points of interest...

Two fascinating tidbits that I discovered recently, or at least hadn't thought about before.

1. Biology is a new science. I don't know why this is so revolutionary for me. Chemistry has been around since antiquity in various forms--gunpowder, alchemy, etc. Physics, especially mechanics, has been explained and re-explianed from the idea that all objects had a natural resting place. Medicine, perhaps the closest thing to biology, and human anatomy, have been wildly speculated on (the humors, etc) as an obvious area of interest. But biology, macro and micro, has only been around for a short time. Classifying species--even knowing accurately what animals looked like, let alone how they functioned--is something not much older than Darwin's explination for it all. And the very first microscope was invented in the 1600's. So why, biological engineering aside, does biology seem like such a dead, obsolete science, a collection of dry facts and names? Our model for how the world works phyisically is always changing, people are always trying to fiddle with elements and discover new ones--using biology as a tool is great, but why are we assuming we have it all "right" and not intelligently challenging it's base assumptions?

2. This is a bit about psychology. "Since Freud, we have placed far too much importance on psychology. It's become a religion for atheists: a scientific way to explain it all and figure out how to live a good (or, to be PC, 'functional') life. Psychology is the newest religion." Agree or disagree, there seems to be at least a grain of truth in this statement.

I recently read that Siddhartha Gautama first preached Buddhism not as a religion or philosophy, but as an almost medical entity—a prescription for the mind toward the cessation of suffering. As remedial psychology. Do we, as a society, worship psychology? Yes. But have we always?