Philosophy
Of course the coming of spring is not foretold by the seeing of a groundhog's shadow. The celebration came from Germany -- which is why its celebration occurs in central Pennsylvania, an area of significant German immigration -- and occurs exactly six weeks before the vernal equinox used to occur (the change is a result of the precession of the equinoxes, that is, the result of the Earth's axis of rotation itself rotating around another axis). So, spring will be six more weeks, no matter what -- that's just when spring is.
At the same time, the emergence of burrowing animals from their hibernation is a marker of the coming of spring. Like so many of our seemingly mystical rituals, there are perfectly natural and well-supported rules of thumb connected with them. We may have to take them with a grain of salt, but that's not to say that there isn't also a grain of truth there.
What other rituals have back-stories that are well-supported?
- Foucault's Pendulum
A couple of weeks ago we saw an awesome optical illusion created by a series of pendulums of gradually increasing length. Today we focus on a single pendulum, Foucault's pendulum, and the incredible insights (scientific and philosophical) that it...
- $#@#$$%%^ Punxsutawney Phil
Skin and quarter your Wood Chuck and par boil him in salted water for 20-30 min. chop and render 4 slices of Bacon. add quartered wood Chuck. 1 Lg. Onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 Lg. carrot, chopped 2 Bay Leaves When Onion is translucent add,...
- Easter And Astronomy
The date for Easter can be confusing and is historically controversial in that it pits Western and Eastern Christian theology. Easter is what is known as a moveable feast calculated to be the first Sunday after the first full moon [Paschal] after the...
- Why...why The Feeling That There Is A Connection?
Winter solstice is almost gone as is the shortest day of the year. Now hope for longer days of sunlight and warmer weather takes the front position. ""It's all, I think, in our genes. It's fundamentally embedded," Hufnagel said. "It helps to...
- Punxsutawney Phil...the Astronomer
Well, it happened today...Punxsutawney [in Pennsylvania] was host to an annual event...a questionable attempt to disturb a furry bucktoothed rodent and have him become a participant in predicting whether there will be six more weeks of winter. Why not,...
Philosophy
Groundhog Day, a Grain of Salt, and a Grain of Truth
Of course the coming of spring is not foretold by the seeing of a groundhog's shadow. The celebration came from Germany -- which is why its celebration occurs in central Pennsylvania, an area of significant German immigration -- and occurs exactly six weeks before the vernal equinox used to occur (the change is a result of the precession of the equinoxes, that is, the result of the Earth's axis of rotation itself rotating around another axis). So, spring will be six more weeks, no matter what -- that's just when spring is.
At the same time, the emergence of burrowing animals from their hibernation is a marker of the coming of spring. Like so many of our seemingly mystical rituals, there are perfectly natural and well-supported rules of thumb connected with them. We may have to take them with a grain of salt, but that's not to say that there isn't also a grain of truth there.
What other rituals have back-stories that are well-supported?
- Foucault's Pendulum
A couple of weeks ago we saw an awesome optical illusion created by a series of pendulums of gradually increasing length. Today we focus on a single pendulum, Foucault's pendulum, and the incredible insights (scientific and philosophical) that it...
- $#@#$$%%^ Punxsutawney Phil
Skin and quarter your Wood Chuck and par boil him in salted water for 20-30 min. chop and render 4 slices of Bacon. add quartered wood Chuck. 1 Lg. Onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 Lg. carrot, chopped 2 Bay Leaves When Onion is translucent add,...
- Easter And Astronomy
The date for Easter can be confusing and is historically controversial in that it pits Western and Eastern Christian theology. Easter is what is known as a moveable feast calculated to be the first Sunday after the first full moon [Paschal] after the...
- Why...why The Feeling That There Is A Connection?
Winter solstice is almost gone as is the shortest day of the year. Now hope for longer days of sunlight and warmer weather takes the front position. ""It's all, I think, in our genes. It's fundamentally embedded," Hufnagel said. "It helps to...
- Punxsutawney Phil...the Astronomer
Well, it happened today...Punxsutawney [in Pennsylvania] was host to an annual event...a questionable attempt to disturb a furry bucktoothed rodent and have him become a participant in predicting whether there will be six more weeks of winter. Why not,...