What Science Is Missing | Teen Ink

What Science Is Missing MAG

September 7, 2015
By Lucy-Agnes PLATINUM, Clarksville, Ohio
Lucy-Agnes PLATINUM, Clarksville, Ohio
22 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world." - Justice Antonin Scalia


Long ago, humans looked at the world and wondered. They gazed at the stars and found them beautiful. They watched the change of the seasons and marveled. They heard the chirping of the birds and were spellbound.

Where had all this splendor come from? Humans pondered this question for long days and nights. They had no telescope to observe the stars, no microscope to explore the basic components of living things, but they did have a brain that was more complex than the most wondrous of modern computers. So they thought, and they arrived at the conclusion that there was a Higher Being in charge of it all, a Creator responsible for all this creation.

This belief of humankind took different shapes in different times and places. The Greeks believed that many gods and goddesses dwelt in glory on Mount Olympus. Zeus, Hera, and hundreds of other divinities still capture the world’s imagination today. The Norse believed in the sky-god Odin and myriad deities – Loki and Freya and the thunder-god Thor. The Sumerians had the fiercely beautiful Ishtar, and the Egyptians worshiped Amun-Ra and Osiris. And in a little stretch of fertile land called Canaan, a group of people called the Hebrews claimed to have the true belief – a belief in One All-Powerful God, a God with a Name so sacred it was not to be spoken by the light tongues of men.

Flash forward several thousand years to the present day. Humans have made great strides in science and technology, achievements so remarkable our ancestors would not have believed such things possible. Now we look at the world and discover. We peer at the stars through a telescope and find that they are massive orbs of burning gas, suspended in a limitless universe and visible from distances so great it makes one dizzy to think about them. We have studied the change of the seasons and learned that they are caused by the tilting of Earth on its axis as it spins its course around the sun. We scrutinize the intricate anatomy of living things and know that they are composed of living cells, each a little unit of activity in itself – and, furthermore, that every element is formed at its most basic level of tiny atoms, that within these atoms are even tinier particles called protons and neutrons and electrons – that all of this is so minuscule and yet so detailed that it is nearly as mind-boggling as the enormity of the universe.

Can you imagine what primitive humans would have thought if they had known this world was so vast, so intricate, so surprising? How do you think they would have reacted? With a resounding “Wow”? A breathless confusion of wonder? We could hardly expect anything else! Early humans’ sense of wonder at the world around them, already admirably awakened, would have grown a thousandfold if they had learned, in a moment, all the truths that modern humans have uncovered over the centuries.

And yet, what do modern humans think? We certainly don’t have the same reaction that ancient humans would have.

Modern science draws conclusions that would shock any self-respecting wonderer of the ancient world.

“There is no God.”

“This universe is the product of chance.”

“Humankind was not designed, but came about due to random evolution.”

Where has our sense of wonder gone? It has disappeared, flown away like the epic mythology of that ancient world. Only snatches remain, and these are scorned. We think ourselves so very smart, don’t we? We know we have learned much since those days of the old philosophers, and so we disregard their wisdom. It is true that we have made great progress in the past several thousand years. But does this mean we should reject the wisdom and great thoughts that were the basis for our learning?

We have lost that supreme, that essential, that glorious sense of wonder! And with it, we have lost our belief in Something Greater.

It is ridiculous, what we have done. It is as though a peasant had a clock and always knew it had been crafted by someone, and then, upon breaking the clock’s face and seeing the intricate clockwork inside, decided the clock made itself. Or as though a group of children, having lived all their lives in a house and assuming its builder had been a capable workman, suddenly came out of the house and realized it had merely been a dollhouse in a room more magnificent and massive than anything they had ever seen – and concluded that there was no builder at all.

As our knowledge has grown, our wonder has shrunk. It doesn’t make sense to me. Does it to you?

Maybe the ancients were on to something when they said there was a higher power. I’m not saying we should go back to believing in Zeus. I’m just saying that moving forward in science doesn’t mean turning away from belief in a higher power.

No matter how informed the modern and atheistic mind is, it cannot be denied that there is something missing – a sense of awe and wonder at the world around us. It would be a shame if we accepted the new marvels of modern science at the expense of that wonder. Because that sense of wonder is what makes life worthwhile. 



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This article has 9 comments.


on Dec. 9 2021 at 4:46 pm
WolfGurl PLATINUM, Not A Real Place, Indiana
20 articles 5 photos 177 comments

Favorite Quote:
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. –Anatole France.

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. –Josh Billings

Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.- George Carlin

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. —Franklin D. Roosevelt

Never lose. Either win, or learn. - Me

Yes! Science and religion can go together, they don't need to be spilt apart! Totally agree!

on May. 4 2017 at 4:20 pm
WriterExpert7 GOLD, Lahore, Other
19 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What I am looking for is not out there, it's in me." ~ Hellen Keller

Hi - Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece in regard to the matter. In the eyes of some, science and religion are two different and diametrical terms. A person who favors science much may be of the view that a religious path/mindset will be nothing but a hindrance to his or her discoveries. On the flip side, a religious person may claim that, even though science is escalating the known knowledge of the universe, it acts as an impediment to his or her religious struggle/connection with God. These are, in my opinion, the two extremes. But extremity is never reliable, is it? What I personally believe is, a marriage between science and religion will not only provide a moderate and reliable approach but also be able to address the most pressing issues of today's world. Religious dedication to a scientific matter is the requirement for a successful scientific career. On the other hand, science is a great tool to turn a religious faith into a strong one based on rationalization. Once again, I thank you for sharing your reflections with all of us. :)

on Apr. 10 2017 at 8:38 pm
lizmaria140 GOLD, A, Alabama
12 articles 2 photos 13 comments
I've written a similar piece discussing the relationship between science and religion, but I think I like this one better! :) Very well done.

on Nov. 21 2015 at 9:17 pm
ScarletCity PLATINUM, High Ridge, Missouri
40 articles 4 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Anything that can be done, can be undone. ~Scarlet City
http://eepurl.com/dcyZMn

The story of the watch is mentioned in The Gosspel Journey, by Pastor Greg Stier. This story is now a favorite of my youth pastor.

on Nov. 21 2015 at 12:45 am
Lucy-Agnes PLATINUM, Clarksville, Ohio
22 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world." - Justice Antonin Scalia

Oh, that's a great analogy! I don't think I ever heard that before. Haha, and even if the watch assembled ion the bag it would still have some sort of cause behind it - the guy shaking the bag. :) Atheism just doesn't make sense, does it? Thanks for commenting!

on Nov. 20 2015 at 10:43 pm
ScarletCity PLATINUM, High Ridge, Missouri
40 articles 4 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
Anything that can be done, can be undone. ~Scarlet City
http://eepurl.com/dcyZMn

Well written. I enjoyed the part about the clock creating itself. It reminded me of the story of the watch. This man took all the parts to a watch and put them in a bag. Everyday he shook the bag. When his atheist neighbor asked what he was doing he replied that the neighbor believed the if science can assemble us by chance, then this watch should assemble itself too.

on Nov. 18 2015 at 4:18 pm
Lucy-Agnes PLATINUM, Clarksville, Ohio
22 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world." - Justice Antonin Scalia

Oh, thank you so much!

on Sep. 9 2015 at 6:47 pm
CrosswordKid176 BRONZE, Brantford, Other
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments
Beautiful piece!!

on Sep. 9 2015 at 5:17 pm
Olivia-Atlet ELITE, Dardenne Prairie, Missouri
325 articles 10 photos 1165 comments

Favorite Quote:
"To these the past hath its phantoms,
More real than solid earth;
And to these death does not mean decay,
But only another birth"
- Isabella Banks

This is very well-written! :) I enjoyed reading about your opinion, even if I disagree on a few points. Very very detailed, well-thought-out, and quite interesting. Great job with such an intricate piece! :)