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| Paper: |
Enchantment and the Awe of the Heavens |
| Volume: |
441, The Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena VI |
| Page: |
415 |
| Authors: |
Campion, N. |
| Abstract: |
The dominant narrative in astronomy is of the disinterested scientist,
pursuing the quest for mathematical data, neutral, value-free and
objective. Yet, many astronomy books refer to the “awe” of the night
sky, and most amateur astronomers are thrilled by the sight of, say
Saturn's rings or Jupiter's moons. This talk addresses the issue of
the “inspiration” of astronomical phenomena and argues that
astronomers should be more forthright about the emotional, irrational
appeal of the heavens. Reference will be made to the sociologist Max
Weber's theory of “enchantment”. Weber argued that science and
technology are automatically disenchanting. This paper will qualify
Weber's theory and argue that astronomy can be seen as fundamentally
enchanting. |
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