Friday, March 15, 2013

Long Live The Process (and Science)

After only 2 days, this week, a new pope was elected in the Vatican Conclave (a sort of special election in church parlance).

Out of 115 cardinals, 77 voted for an Argentinian Jesuit (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) who took the name of Pope Francis.

The Papal election process is a tribute and testament to the process that takes over creativity.

Churches and religions love stable processes and they need an 'eternity' to change processes.

In numerous ways states have learned to preserve basic state processes (election, courts, military, etc.) from religion and perhaps this is a requirement to be considered a state to begin with. Religion taught kings how to make states work and exist forever.

Perhaps religion should also learn from the functioning of the state and start to use democratic processes to elect their leaders...
 Does that make the current process obsolete? Not really as the papal election outcome is somehow manageable and intellectually elevated and elevating for the crowds.

I believe that science and scientists should take a cue from the Catholic Church and create, cherish, and repeat stable processes (in perpetuity) to celebrate scientific events and accomplishments in order to attract more adherents to the scientific process and thought.

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