New Scientist has a quick look at the fantasy world of the Watchmen and relates it to the state of current scientific knowledge: “Doctor Manhattan can also see into the past and future, making him somewhat indifferent about the fate of lesser mortals, which he believes to be predetermined. (He’s in some ways a caricature: the aloof scientist for whom the pursuit of pure knowledge trumps all human considerations.) Given how poorly we understand time, it’d be a mistake to write this off as pure fantasy – it sounds a little like the world envisaged by independent physicist Julian Barbour, in which time really is just an illusion.” (link via Matt Badham)
Wed, Mar 4, 2009
Comics and cartoons, Film, TV and radio