and: underwater

And of course I should have added (in the previous post) that the “terrestrial exploration is now over” metaphor for the possible completion of subatomic physics also fails when our relative ignorance of undersea reality is considered. Referring to outer space is simply the easiest way to point to the ignorance of the average educated person (including me) of the respective positions of even the closest neighboring stars.

At most, you might know that X number of stars are within 20 light years of us, but even if you know that, you probably don’t know their respective directions. It would be like knowing that 4 different cities are the same number of miles from Chicago, ignoring that they might all be found in different directions. Or alternatively, knowing that both Attila the Hun and Silvio Berlusconi are both about 800 years distant from St. Thomas Aquinas. Doesn’t help much to know that, does it?