From: Michael Straight <straight@email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: Digest urth.v028.n079
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 17:42:03 


> What Wolfe is doing with the tea-lady is to give us her view of science
> thru teleological eyes ie., that science destroys wonder (a common
> anti-evolutionist claim to this day). When the ballooning of the
> cathedral tent can be explained by the hot air from the fire which was
> started by Severian's crash, this for her, misses the point, which is to
> see the Hand (of God) in nature. She isn't calling for a miracle, but
> that the event should send us to God, not to the explanation.

I don't think "destroying wonder" quite captures the complaint of the
tea-lady.  Rather I think she's pointing out that sometimes scientific
"explanations" don't really explain.  

It's as if we were to find a man murdered and exclaim "How could this have
happened?" and the Scientist were to tell us "You see, a bullet entered
his brain and caused it to cease functioning," and expect our curiosity to
be satisfied.

Actualy, I don't think that example quite captures it either, but it's the
best I can come up with for now.

-Rostrum


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