Thursday, July 30, 2009

The deepest joy of science

"Broecker likes figuring things out. He likes, above all else, putting a new piece in the puzzle. That is the best fun, the deepest joy.
Science is a system, a way of thinking and acting, and a community that allows you to taste that joy, on your luckiest days. It is the belief that if we observe the world carefully, test our ideas skeptically, and communicate honestly, we can figure things out."

Wallace Broecker and Robert Kunzig, "CO2 - Fixing Climate", chapter "Finding Science".

This reminds me of my mother telling me I loved and was very good at puzzles at an early age. This is undoubtedly what I like most in my job, having to figure out how the ocean works from observations I collect about it.

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