Comment Re:No, MINE is the most important discovery ever! (Score 1) 892
Practically speaking, what has relativity done for us? Or plate tectonics, for that matter? We still have catastrophic earthquakes, and we still can't time-warp with wormholes. How long have these theories been around now? Sure, they may be useful down the road, but probably not within the next decade or two. And evolution? Don't get me started on the practical applications of pondering our origins and the immediate tangible rewards thereof.
Theory provides the foundation for scientific disciplines. Einstein's early breakthroughs eventually led to the computing revolution. Plate tectonics is an integral part of geology, and probably helped petroleum companies make plenty of discoveries. Evolution is the basis of biology today, and understanding our ecological impact on the environment would be considerably more difficult without it. Without these ideas, there is practically no understanding of the universe that we live in- we could have all of this data, but it would make no sense.
And speaking of the obesity epidemic, heart disease, and whatnot... How many of these phenomena were caused directly by "scientific breakthroughs"? It could be (and has been) argued that artificial sweeteners, one such breakthrough, have actually contributed significantly to the obesity epidemic. There can be little doubt that our mostly sedentary lifestyles directly contribute to obesity as well as heart disease, and how much do you think we would sit around without our modern technology? And while we may be more aware of the world we live in now, how much of it have we destroyed or defiled with our science? (See also: DDT, plastics, killer bees.)
It is rather difficult to make any kind of coherent argument without knowing considerably more about your topic. Am I to believe that reading books, since one is technically sedentary while reading, contributes to fat accumulation? Particular nutrients (carbohydrates) break down easily into glucose, which drives insulin secretion, which regulates fat accumulation.
Here is Taubes' Berkeley lecture from 2007, hopefully you'll find it edifying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvZP2av5Mk
Don't get me wrong, the quest for knowledge is a noble one. We have learned how to treat many diseases, feed more people, squeeze ever more people onto a planet that can barely support them, and even look for other planets that may be our only hope of continued existence once we've finished this one off. But human beings are ill-prepared to handle the knowledge we seek. We learn how to string hydrocarbons together, and what do we make? Styrofoam! We learn how to launch satellites, and what fills our exosphere? Space junk. We learn how to split atoms, and what's the first thing we make? Yeah.
The misuse of knowledge is a very old problem, and it will not go away by putting our head in the sand. We must become considerably smarter if we're going to use technology safely.