I was kind of surprised whenever Dr. Goldish introduced what he was going to talk about, as it seemed to go against what some other speakers have had to say. After thinking about it, however, it didn’t go against what anyone said, as it seems Darwin could possibly be an outlier in the whole debate of science vs. religion. I was excited to see what Dr. Goldish had so say from the beginning, as Angels & Demons is one of my favorite novels of all time, with Dan Brown being my second favorite author and somewhat of an idol for me since I want to be a writer.
My least favorite part of the presentation was the blame put onto Brown for trying to push a false narrative, as his books are in fact fiction writing, so any “fact” presented in a fiction novel must be further researched to determine whether the “fact” is fiction or not as well. I feel that Brown was not trying to intentionally misinform his readers of history, but create a fictional world that is the best to tell his story in. This did not mean that much to me, however, as it was a very minimal part of the presentation and mostly just used as a lead up to the main point.
Overall, I thought this was one of the best presentations and discussions we have had. Dr. Goldish was incredibly knowledgeable about all of the scientists we discussed, and was great at getting across his points. His points were so compelling that they made me want to go home and do more research into the subject myself. Also, it was impossible to look away as he was talking, as he speaks with so much confidence. I really enjoyed this presentation, and would gladly listen to him talk every week.
Yes, Brenden, I agree that Dr. Goldish is a very passionate speaker. It s interesting that you wanted to keep researching the subjects at home. I guess that is one of the points of the class, to engage you guys and have you think deeper about some of the ideas being presented. It also makes sense that you are a fan of Dan Brown as many of his novels span the time that Dr. Goldish studies. I have not read his books, but have heard the criticisms. I think you are right that you have to read his books with the correct mindset and awareness that they are set in a fictitious world.