Monday, January 25, 2010
Life outside "The Lost World "
While reading through the past couple of chapters I couldn't help but to think about how the conflict with Professor Challenger and his skeptics is much like today with people who have seen UFO's and believe in life outside of our little world. In the novel many students and towns people thought Challenger was a lier because his idea was so radical. And today the public think that people who claim to have seen aliens or UFOs are crazy. During winter break this topic was of great interest to me. I watched numerous documentaries on life in and outside of our solar system. Many of the scientists interviewed stated that they believed in life on other planets. One of the scientists said something that really hit it home to me. He said that there are over 500 BILLION solar systems in the Milky Way and there are 100 BILLION galaxies in the universe. He said that the odds that there are no living organisms in any of these systems would be almost impossible. However we are taught in religion and by some professors that there is no life outside of our small planet sailing through the black abyss of space . But who should we trust? I think that the lesson taught in book and one we are still learning today is that you should never eliminate possibilities based on what seems to be impossible! If we close our minds we could miss important scientific discoveries that could be monumental just like Professor Challenger's discovery of the Ape People and Jurassic creatures.
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I agree. The idea of proving the impossible seems to be a theme of Arthur Conan Doyle's. In his Sherlock Holmes series, Doyle has Mr.Holmes say that "...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." He defines truth as anything not possible. In The Lost World, Doyle shows the reader that many assume things impossible without proof, and so believe them not to be true. This is how the public and students viewed Professor Challenger's discovery. However, the ability to understand the truth lies in being open-minded enough to prove something impossible before deciding it to be so. This can be tied into the use of the scientific method. By definition, a hypothesis is a prediction of the results of experiments or observations, which are necessary to either prove or disprove it. This is the reason that Summerlee went on the expedition-- to disprove Challenger through further research.
ReplyDeleteClearly from this discussion we learn that keeping an open-mind is the key to new discoveries and progress. The dark-ages were a result of bitter oppression mainly due to the fact that people were biased and had preconceptions about everything around them. As soon as people started looking at the world in a fresh light things started to change, the age of renaissance came into affect. Scientist are called as skeptics, that they are always looking to prove something wrong or find errors in new theories. But this is how it looks from a laymans point of view. In fact they are desperately trying to find proof justifying their assumptions. Like in the case pointed out by Kevin, I am surprised that people try to prove that our Earth is the only planet which supports higher forms of life. I always wonder what proof they have that justifies their assumptions. In some ways I feel that Doyle was a pioneer of his time trying to help people shed their biases and misconceptions through his literary works. In fact no one could have said it better than Holmes as pointed out by Kirstyn.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that "you should never eliminate possibilities based on what seems to be impossible". Even though the fear of change/revolution and the unknown is understandable, innovation is needed for society to progress.
ReplyDeleteHowever, precaution is needed in order to keep our humanity as emotional beings. I believe that Arthur Conan Doyle was emphasizing the need for a balance between innovation and tradition by making the expedition members two scientists and two non-scientists, and making everyone's contribution crucial for the success of the expedition.
All in all, I believe that Arthur Conan Doyle supports a "checks and balance" system in society rather than a society bent on 100 percent innovation or 100 percent traditional lifestyle.
-Ivan-Thibault Pham
I think the main theme was the fear of the unknown. People fear what they do not understand and/or try to cover truth with falsehoods. This is seen in the beginning of the novel when Professor Challenger is portrayed as a liar and madman even though he was telling the truth about the dinosaurs in South America. Challenger views himself and other scientists above all other life forms, even less intelligent humans. This becomes evident when Challenger addresses Malone and other non-scientists in a condescending tone. Challenger fears the ape-men because they remind him of his evolutionary past. He cannot comprehend having an average human intelligence, and thus, fears that. He kills the ape-men in an attempt to exterminate them from history. Ultimately, Challenger fears the brilliant scientists ever being linked with those sub-human ape-men
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