Rushdie

"Scientists get angry when laymen misunderstand, for example, the uncertainty principle. In an age of great uncertainties it is easy to mistake science for banality, to believe that Heisenberg is merely saying, gee, guys, we just can't be sure of anything. It's all so darn uncertain, but isn't that, like, beautiful? Whereas, actually he's telling us the exact opposite: that if you know what you're doing you can pin down exact quantum of uncertainty in any experiment, any process. To knowledge and mystery we can now ascribe percentage points. A principle of uncertainty is also a measure of certainty. It's not a lament about shifting sands but a gauge of the solidity of the ground.
By the same token, as we say in Hug-me, I get annoyed when people misunderstand change. We're not talking about the goddamn I Ching here. We're talking about the deepest stirrings of our essential natures, of our secret hearts. Metamorphosis isn't whimsy. It's revelation."


July 19, 1999