Venerating Lucy

For those who don't follow our podcast Let's Talk Creation, I wanted to let you know that the first episode of Paul and Todd's Czech Anthropology Adventure is now available. In that episode, my co-host Paul Garner and I have quite a conversation about the "veneration" of these fossils. We draw some very explicit parallels between the long lines and many foreign visitors coming to this exhibit and medieval people going on religious pilgrimages. Being in that room with the fossils, where the room was dark and the bones were in coffin-like exhibits, there was definitely a hush over the crowd, almost a reverence. (Then there were the noisy creationists yammering on about anatomical details.)  We had an interesting conversation about science vs religion and how modern museums have become our cathedrals. Check out the episode for more.

In a fun little coincidence, Paige Madison has a piece in Smithsonian magazine on the exhibit, and she confirms that reverential attitude without the overtly religious overtones.  She writes, 

The hushed gallery felt almost devotional. People looked down at the fragments, up at the reconstructed faces, and down again. Most clasped their hands behind their back as they leaned forward, with adults lingering longer over the bones and children studying the realistic figures. 

She doesn't connect this atmosphere of devotion to medieval pilgrimage, but it's still a nice complement to our discussion.

If you've seen the episode, check out Dr. Madison's article, and if you haven't seen our Lucy episode, you should check that out too. I think it'll be worth your time to reflect on the cultural power of science.

Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com. If you enjoyed this article, please consider a contribution to Core Academy of Science. Thank you.

Have you read my book?  You should check that out too!