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I think it's really interesting how when we learn new things (such as this lesson about how the eye works) we often only learn them "halfway." E.g., obviously,
by maxander 8y ago
I think it's really interesting how when we learn new things (such as this lesson about how the eye works) we often only learn them "halfway." E.g., obviously, you're not blind, and you see as far as you like- but your old sense of how sight works involved contact, and your new concept didn't fully rid you of the notion that contact was a limiting factor. Only because these two contradictory notions could coexist in your mind did you feel "blind."
Similarly, I've had people tell me that reading about the "microbiome" is really distressing, since afterwards they feel like they have some alien infestation in their bodies- as though they were full of bugs. On one level they learned a new thing, that healthy human bodies contain lots of various microorganisms, but some part of their psyche still maintained that any such creatures must be pathological. Their obvious health doesn't make them feel like microbiome theory is false, and nor does it fully convince them that their microbiome is benign.
There's probably a lot of more subtle examples of this, and it probably goes a long way to explain why so many people find science to be distressing or depressing.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago> I've had people tell me that reading about the "microbiome" is really distressing, since afterwards they feel like they have some alien infestation in their bodies- as though they were full of bugs. On one level they learned a new thing, that healthy human bodies contain lots of various microorganisms, but some part of their psyche still maintained that any such creatures must be pathological. We also all maintain the perception of "wholeness" of our body. But at the level of microbiome, it's just bunch of cells mixing with another bunch of cells, with different DNA. It's all one large bag of smart sand. It's another realization that may be hard for some people to handle.
- groestl 8y agoYes, I think that's exactly what I meant in my sibling comment!
- vanderZwan 8y ago> But at the level of microbiome, it's just bunch of cells mixing with another bunch of cells, with different DNA. It's all one large bag of smart sand. Well, in terms of biomass not quite, and our gut flora are also topologically still outside of our bodies. But I agree with the overall sentiment, whether we call it a bag of smart sand or a portable sealed-off climate controlled micro-ecology is just details.
- groestl 8y agoInteresting, my model of a pathogen (mostly shaped by my biology teacher), was one of a symbiont not completely adapted to the host body (yet). This was decades ago, but when I later read up on the microbiome, the image of an alien infestation did not really cross my mind. What caused me more concern was the (halfway) realization that this symbiosis goes as far a actually forming the human body.
- raattgift 8y ago> full of bugs Better not tell them about Demodex spp. Can you see your eyelash mites? http://www.optometrytimes.com/dry-eye/demodex-may-be-beneficial-humans http://www.optometrytimes.com/dry-eye/demodex-may-be-benefic...