Garden of Daisies

Disillusioned Student

Lately I have been becoming more firm in my disillusionment with science. It has existed in varying forms since about 5 years ago when I encountered Jung’s comparison between scientific norms and personal myths. This last month or two I have been sensing that science, as it is practiced or revered by the majority of people (i.e. undergraduate students/degree holders and the general public) is a relatively awe-crushing pursuit. It is true that it is not like that by necessity–so much as by chance, or as a result of the nature of humans to be more in awe of that which they don’t understand.

I think the key is that a true scientist, or especially a true philosopher of science, is aware of the limitations of his field and how little we have actually come to ‘know’. Where as most of us out in the world tend to treat science as cold hard fact.

I turn to John Maynard Keynes:

…there is no direct relation between the truth of a proposition an its probability. Probability begins and ends with probability. That a scientific investigation pursued on account of its probability will generally lead to truth, rather than falsehood, is at best only probable.

Add comment July 23rd, 2007

Amusement Tax

So I went to the movies the other night and guess what my reciept read?

Admission Price: $10.30
GST: $0.62
Amusement Tax: $1.03
Total: $11.95

Does everyone see it? Number three. Second from the bottom. Amusement tax?! What the heck is that?

I was with a group of four and not one of us had heard of this before. We asked three people working at the cinema, and not one of them had heard of it before…so I went home, looked it up, and guess what? The Province of Ontario charges an “amusement tax” on admission to, you guessed it, places of amusement! In fairness, I feel that the price of my entire ticket is somewhat of an amusement tax, but nevermind that.

So here it is, according to Wilfred Laurier University admission to places of amusement is a taxable service at 10%. According to this article on the history of film in Ontario the tax was instated in 1916 as a war tax. …sticking around a bit like the old income tax isn’t it?

Who knew?

3 comments July 22nd, 2007