Robert Jastrow, one of the noted astronomers of our time and, as it happens, a former professor of mine at Dartmouth, died earlier this year. This is my overdue tribute to his life and work.
Jastrow was one of the great popularizers of science. One of his books, Red Giants and White Dwarfs, became a national bestseller and conveyed to a whole generation of Americans the excitment and mystery of space exploration. When American astronauts landed on the moon, Jastrow provided expert commentary for the TV networks covering the event.
But Jastrow never permitted popularization to get in the way of serious professional accomplishment. After getting his doctorate in physics from Columbia, he became head of the theoretical divison at NASA. Later he was appointed head of the Goddard Space Institute. In 1992 he became chairman of Mount Wilson Observatory in California.
In addition to medals for scientific achivement, Jastrow also won acclaim as a gifted teacher. At Dartmouth, I always found him friendly and accessible. Later our paths crossed because Jastrow became an energetic and resourceful defender of President Reagan's strategic missile defense initiative, dubbed by its critics as "Star Wars."
While critics like physicist Hans Bethe said Star Wars would never work, the Russians agreed with Jastrow that it would, and they desperately sought to outlaw it. (Obviously if the Russians felt it was a boondoggle they would have supported it, since this would be a great way to waste America's defense budget.) In his last years Jastrow became increasingly skeptical of claims that global warming is destroying the planet. He saw global warming as an effort to exploit science for ideological ends.
One of Jastrow's gems is a little book called God and the Astronomers in which Jastrow, although himself an agnostic, made a startling argument. He argued that "the astronomical evience leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world." Jastrow not only documents his claim but shows why leading scientists including Einstein resisted the new discoveries, because they threatened the dogma that scientific laws enjoy eternal validity. Jastrow showed that in reality the laws of physics themselves came into existence with the Big Bang; beyond or apart from our universe, there are no such laws.
Jastrow's story reads like a detective novel, with the only difference that the facts he recounts are true. And here is his stunning conclusion: "For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 36)
61. Dear Nano-
Lewis Carroll was more coherent.
So, can you only go out AFTER the meds kick in?
Robert at 11:55AM on Jul 1st 2008
62. That Nanotech guy is too OUT THERE to dislike.
Back to the future of knowledge, our budding creation scientists!
Elementary School Level
1st Place: "My Uncle Is A Man Named Steve (Not A Monkey)" (grade 5) - Adorable
2nd Place: "Pine Cones Are Complicated" (grade 4) - A gradeschooler outsmarted by a freakin' seed
Middle School Level
1st Place: "Life Doesn't Come From Non-Life" (grade 8) - A semi-elaborate mockery. I think the next one should have won...
2nd Place: "Women Were Designed For Homemaking" (grade 7) - Better I say nothing on this one
High School Level
1st Place: "Using Prayer To Microevolve Latent Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria" (grades 10 & 11) - Big words? Here's a prize! At least this one used some scientific technique
2nd Place: "Maximal Packing Of Rodentia Kinds: A Feasibility Study" (Grade 12) - Mice survived living in a box? Here's a prize!
Honorable Mentions
"God Made Kitty" (grade 3) - Aaawww!
"The Bible Says Creation" (grade 5) - No shit, Sherlock
"Pokemon Prove Evolutionism Is False" (grade 4) - Holding back laughter
"Mousetrap Reduced To Pile Of Functionless Parts" (grade 7) - Kevin can take things apart? Here's a prize!
"Dinosaur & Man Walked Together" (grade 6) - I wish the site elaborated on this one
"Rocks Can't Evolve, Where Did They Come From Mr. Darwin?" (grade 6) - Holding back laughter
"Thermodynamics Of Hell Fire" (grade 12) - I'm going to need to know this someday...
Mokele Mbembe at 11:58AM on Jul 1st 2008
63. Stop, Moke, STOP!!!
Dammit, man, and I thought your last one about the action figure was funny!
(Aw, crap!...I just did it again!)
Thanks for keeping it real.
Mahalo!
Robert at 12:04PM on Jul 1st 2008
64. Robert,
I could tell you about how Dark Matter expansion theory means secular science worships the Dark Arts, or better yet - the Mall Mission! Should I really stop?
Mokele Mbembe at 12:07PM on Jul 1st 2008
65. The mall mission had me rolling. JC Penny; associating Jesus Christ with the Penny. Better boycott them. LOL!
a born atheist at 12:17PM on Jul 1st 2008
66. Dear Moke-
Where was this shit during the latest creationist debate- damn the irony!
Dark Matter = Dark Arts? I KNEW there was a reason I was so spacey!
The "Mall Mission"? Do share. Gotta know THAT one!
Stop? You know me better that that... go for it, I just opened a new box of Depends! LMFAOROFLIMOU.
Robert at 12:21PM on Jul 1st 2008
67. P.S. Where's the link? I'm lazy. But gotta put this one in the file. Appreciate it, amigo.
Robert at 12:23PM on Jul 1st 2008
68. Dear God, if you exist, please don't ever let Dinesh eulogize me. He'll just use it to land some cheap shots at his foes. Thanks.
AndrewV at 12:24PM on Jul 1st 2008
69. ABA,
Mallrats: "Emphasize "coolness" of Jesus and offer "Radical Salvation". Secularized teens usually can't read too well, so hand out colorful stickers instead of pamphlets."
Senior citizens: "Your Church can offer these pathetic and lonely people much more comfort than the cold, heartless mall can."
Last-minute shoppers: "If you are targeting these lost souls, be sure to bring a van so that you can take them back to your Church for counseling and emergency baptisms."
Teens: "Catchy slogans help to grab the short attention of the consumption-addled unsaved, be sure to employ them on all your handouts and especially when first approaching a potential ex-consumer." (Cheezy one-liners)
Consumerism: "If a shopper is insistent on giving gifts, suggest that they give hand-made goods or donate to a charity in the recipient's name. If they still insist on purchasing gifts, suggest that they buy them at Christian stores where Secular Consumerism won't be an issue."
Undercoverwork: "Infiltrate a mall store by applying for a holiday job. Once you are on the inside, discourage shoppers from buying any of the store's merchandise. If they insist on buying something, slip informative pamphlets in with their purchase."
Mokele Mbembe at 12:25PM on Jul 1st 2008
70. Robert,
http://objectiveministries.org
Why give you one page when I can give you the entire site? Thanks again to K for this.
Mokele Mbembe at 12:27PM on Jul 1st 2008
71. Moke, that stuff is hilarious. Where are you getting it from. Sign me up.
Linda at 12:37PM on Jul 1st 2008
72. Bright insightful theologians like the Popes of Roman Catholic Church and their acolytes who had the Sun and the univers revolving around the Earth. Or who evangelicals who have a God punching a clock for six days then resting on the seventh.
Many cultures have creation myths and a God or Gods who have chosen them as his most beloved condemning the rest of us as vermin. What if Amun-Ra or Zeus or Jupiter or Rama or Queaztlacoatl or Buddha or Kukulcan or Marduk or Allah or Yahweh or Odin or Zoroaster or Jesus is the one true God or faith? Or if the God is on the side of some alien race?
Ignorance and superstition are not a true substitute for reality and knowledge. Our turning up ournoses at ancient mythology is based upon an unwarranted conceit that we are right about our faith and they were wrong. Faith is always the antithesis of logic, naturalism, reason and objectivity.
PF at 12:45PM on Jul 1st 2008
73. Linda-
It would be hilarious if this were a hoax- it's not! These fuckers are SERIOUS! And not alone...
Holy shit! (no pun)
Thanks again, Moke & all.
Robert at 12:51PM on Jul 1st 2008
74. I wonder if GHB has seen this?
(A distant "BOOM!!!" is heard.)
Never mind...
Robert at 1:03PM on Jul 1st 2008
75. Rober,
"Where was this shit during the latest creationist debate- damn the irony!"
Sounds more like "Morrissette-style irony" than "irony".
I am reminded of http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF244-Preach_Skate.jpg
Mokele Mbembe at 1:07PM on Jul 1st 2008