There is very
strong argument that the universe in our immediate vicinity is far more complex than we
can imagine. One has only to compare the amount of
man's knowledge obtained by his unaided senses with the enormous increase provided by the
development of such evices as telescopes, microscopes, radio receivers and X-ray machines,
to realize how very limited we are.
Telescopes, microscopes and similar "magnifying"
techniques form a continuous and open-ended chain of development.
The urge to see farther and smaller has always existed, and
is fundamental to the extent of being instinctive.
No matter how powerful an instrument is built, there will
always be some object of interest which is barely visible, and so an awareness of things
still beyond its range and an incentive to improve it.
On the other hand, such developments as radio communication
and X-ray examina- tion required the positive discovery of radio waves and X-rays before
they could even be contemplated. |