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The Universe in a Single Atom:
Communicating Astronomy through Metaphor (page 14)
Matthew McCool
First Paragraph
Effective science communication requires a return to the mind of a beginner. This is a critical detail to remember because astronomy is, above all else, a remarkably complex subject. Since astronomy is initially a study of the abstract, observations of mysterious targets in the archives of time, we slowly forget our initial self. Novelty gives way to expertise. The problem is that effective astronomy communication requires a kind of scientific translation, a process made possible only by understanding the novice stargazer. And one of the best ways to accomplish this goal is communicating through analogy and metaphor.
Comments about this article
Gary D. Timothy
23 Feb 2009, 03:27
I think a better title might have been to substitute "Analogy" for
"Metaphor". From what I've seen, metaphors are often misused and abused.
Just recently I read an astronomer saying "... the universe doesn't care
what I think is true, the universe only cares what is true." And then that
astronomer defended against a criticism that questioned why he
anthropomorphized the universe by saying that it was a metaphor and that
astronomers often use literary devices. This is a good example of how this
astronomer should have read CAP journal 4 (on which I have also commented)
article "Contrary to belief." He could have as easily just said something
like "The truth of the universe is independent of what I think is true."
Basically, this is another good, must-read article in the true tradition of
Communicating Astronomy to the Public!
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