397: Unscientific
| Unscientific |
 Title text: Last week, we busted the myth that electroweak gauge symmetry is broken by the Higgs mechanism. We'll also examine the existence of God and whether true love exists. |
[edit] Explanation
In the first and second frames, Megan can be seen accusing MythBusters of not actually "doing science" because of its lack of rigor - a debate beyond the scope of this Wiki. The zombie of deceased physicist, Richard Feynman, comes to explain to Megan that she has failed to recognize the purpose of MythBusters. He explains that MythBusters is only meant to get people to accept and understand the basics of science, and that more complex lessons (such as on rigor) are to be reserved for those who are not in the "scientific darkness".
In the last frame, Cueball attempts to save himself and Megan from zombie Feynman by implying that physicists, being extremely intelligent, would have more desirable brains. Also, being a lab, the number of brains available would be higher than just two. Feynman's closing remark implies that string theorists are less intelligent that other types of physicists. This notion fits appropriately with Feynman's description of the core of science. Moreover, Feynman's own career involved applying physics to real world applications (such as for the Manhattan Project), whereas the work of string theorists is theoretical and untested.
It is also a pun on M-theory (also called Brane theory), a part of string theory, which some argue is impossible to test scientifically.
[edit] Transcript
- TV: Can a ninja catch an arrow? On this episode, we'll find out!
- Cueball: Mmm, science.
- Megan: Hey, Mythbusters is entertaining, but it's not science.
- Zombie Feynman: BRAAAIIIINNS...
- Cueball: Zombie Feynman!
- Zombie Feynman: You got a problem with Mythbusters?
- Megan: They fail at basic rigor!
- Zombie Feynman: "Ideas are tested by experiment." That is the core of science. Everything else is bookkeeping.
- Zombie Feynman: By teaching people to hold their beliefs up to experiment, Mythbusters is doing more to drag humanity out of the unscientific darkness than a thousand lessons in rigor. Show them some love.
- Zombie Feynman: Anyway, back to zombie stuff. I hunger for BRAAAAAIIINNS!
- Cueball: Try the physics lab next door.
- Zombie Feynman: I said brains. All they've got are string theorists.
add a comment!