Editorial

When The Sky Shakes
Its Marbles Loose…

by Éric P. Lemoine

One or two generations ago, we were taught in history classes that our ancestors the Gauls were crude people living in huts and fearing but one thing, that the sky may fall upon their heads. Of course, for good measure the teachers had to tell the story with the smugness of a person who knows more than believe such silly tales.

In science however, we were taught other tales, that we were to readily accept, as if bearing the hall-mark of common sense. That meteorites (a barbarian word for strange things vaguely akin to stones) were falling from the sky, and it was the most common thing since the dinosaurs discovered one bigger than them in their garden once upon the time.

Strangely enough, what scientists rarely pride themselves on narrating is how this came to be “common sense” —or expressed mass belief.

In April 1803, reports came to Paris that a huge explosion had been heard and a shower of stones had been falling from the sky in Normandy, near a hamlet going by the name of l’Aigle (the Eagle). “Impossible”, “rants of peasants” etc. At the time of the events, these were the most likely reactions you’d get from any ‘reasonable’ man, dignified academician and scientists —and even just considering such things could discredit you as a scientist. So it wasn’t much of a surprise that no one had cared to investigate the possibility of stones falling from the sky. Nevertheless, such a matter of homeland security couldn’t be ignored by the Ministry, and a young scientist, Jean-Baptiste Biot, was sent to the village to report on the occurrence.

After almost two weeks of investigation in situ, interviewing the eye- and ear-witnesses, from peasants to priests, going to more than twenty villages, Biot came back to Paris, to report in from the Institut de France. His report is thorough, and shows evidence, both physical (remnants of the stones) and moral (social consideration on the witnesses, and their reliability) that indeed an explosion had been heard over the villages like thunder but in broad daylight, and also that stones had fallen, the compounds of which are not locally found in the area, and of a similar nature throughout the villages. He concludes then of the extra-terrestrial nature of these stones.

Nature has never ceased to create wonders for us to contemplate, that most of the time we can’t readily explain —because they are not expressed to be explained so to speak.

Sometimes, a few people, not dignified enough, start to voice something which seems preposterous to anyone who ‘knows better’ (which is often short for “knows better than investigate and search for a wider truth outside the ostrich’s pit”). Those voices, if paid heed to, can be a source of great renewal of our perspectives, because they express outside of the currently held beliefs.

It’s an honour to provide room for the dunces and black sheep of the class, and to watch them doodle their imaginary rockets to the moon and castles in the sky.

I’ve been a good pupil for far too long.