Postby Technomancer » Sun Nov 02, 2003 8:02 am
For those who are curious, a Holy Day of Obligation is a day in which Catholics are obliged to attend mass, and to refrain from "servile work". In practice however, this is often not possible given the demands of modern life here in the US and Canada (countries where Catholicism predominates may differ in what are considered statutory holidays). Instead, permission is usually given for the feast to be observed on Sundays, although there are certain events that cannot be deferred (e.g. Christmas).
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov