Q&A: Knitted Kippahs, Transparent Kippahs, and Dark Matter
Knitted Kippahs, Transparent Kippahs, and Dark Matter
Question
Hi Michi,
On Monday, I traveled to Herzliya for a meeting of the “Transparent Kippahs.” The topic of the meeting was building a model society.
Although physically I was feeling pretty bad, the meeting place had no regular public transportation, and afterward, when it ended after 10 p.m., I had to begin my trip north with the intention of staying overnight with Y. in Hadera. It was gloomy and cold and I didn’t feel like traveling, and I missed the bus to Afula, so I said to myself that if I got to Afula and saw that I’d have to wait a long time for a bus to Tel Aviv, then I’d make a farcical turnaround—but as soon as I got there, the bus was there for me, and despite everything I arrived faster than expected. And of course physically I felt very good.
The occasion for the meeting was the birthday of Eran Reuveni, who initiated the establishment of a synagogue for their local community inside a nursing home. There were about 20 people; most of the men, like Eran, were engineers in the Air Force, and most of the women worked in education.
The practical expression of their commitment to a model society in their community is helping children from needy families, along with other activity in various fields.
At the meeting, there were very interesting lectures dealing with the vision of the Transparent Kippahs.
I was happy for the opportunity to get to know educated, caring people who actually put their ideas into practice.
The reason I’m bothering you with these trifles is this: on the way to Hadera I caught a ride with one of the participants, who was wearing a knitted kippah. We talked about various topics, and then he brought up another subject: dark matter. He said it makes up 95% of the universe. The universe we experience is only 5% of all matter. Physics, he added, is based on statistics. What validity do statistics have if they are based on 5% of reality?
I take his statement one step further, and wonder: perhaps the basis for alternative medicine, and for parapsychological phenomena that cannot be confirmed by accepted scientific criteria, should be sought in the dark regions of dark matter?
I’ll leave it at that for tonight.
All the best
Answer
Hello A.,
You speak about a basis, but you mean an explanation. That is not the same thing. Take reflexology, for example. One can try to establish its effectiveness by means of a comparative test between a sample group and a control group, with double blinding, as is done in systematic medical research. That is called establishing a basis, even though even if we discover that it works, we still do not have an explanation. An explanation would be to ground reflexology in scientific physiological knowledge. In order for me to have confidence in such a field, establishing a basis is enough; I do not need an explanation. The advantage of establishing a basis is that there is no need for theoretical scientific criteria. It just has to work. If it does not work in a controlled double-blind study, then it does not work. And it makes no difference whether you find a thousand explanations for it through dark matter or through the moon.
Goodbye,