Richard Dawkins has just topped the list of Britain's top public intellectuals, which seems like a pretty specious designation...but still, he's a pretty smart guy (at least when it comes to topics of science...as I've stated here before, his political commentary leaves much to be desired).

Anyway, today's as good a day as any to read his article "Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder", which is a sort of superabridged version of his book "Unweaving the Rainbow". For those of you who aren't interested in reading the book, the article does a nice job of summing up the main points, which basically deal with the often widespread ignorance and distrust of science, and a nice summary of science's often overlooked virtues.

An excerpt:

There is an appetite for wonder, and isn't true science well qualified to feed it?

It's often said that people 'need' something more in their lives than just the material world. There is a gap that must be filled. People need to feel a sense of purpose. Well, not a BAD purpose would be to find out what is already here, in the material world, before concluding that you need something more. How much more do you want? Just study what is, and you'll find that it already is far more uplifting than anything you could imagine needing.

Enjoy.