What is a Science Museum

            Science is the pursuit of Wisdom through the search for Knowledge.   Knowledge is the objective perception of Truth.   So a Scientist will observe.   To do so he will measure.   The resulting data will be analysed and an attitude as to the nature of the Universe will be reached.   Wisdom enables Humanity to attain peaceful co-existence with Nature and Happiness will follow.

                A Museum is a monument to Happiness.   Alternatively it can be seen as a Temple where the visitor can realise that the pursuit of Happiness is attainable.

                A Science Museum is a laboratory for philosophers.   I see it as a place where time is not a unit of measurement.   Time here is frozen.   Then Nature may be observed through the two dimensions of Space and Matter only.   Such a Museum is a place where we can appreciate fully the concept of flow of time.

  The main exhibits of a Science Museum will be the means of making the measurements of Mass, Length and Time.   The references and instruments used are the important exhibits in such a place.   Then there will be the derived units and the instruments used in the various disciplines for their measurement.

  But having the means to measure one feels the need to have something worth measuring.   So experiments are devised and the resulting measurements produce data which when analysed in the light of the original aim of the experiment will produce an insight as to the nature and behaviour of things.   Some of these classical experiments will also be fitting exhibits in a Science Museum.

  Finally our experiments produce understanding by virtue of which we can invent or harness Nature for our benefit.   Such inventions can be worthy of exhibition if it can be proved that they are beneficial to Humanity.

  A sensitive approach in applying Scientific Principles for technological purposes will produce Happiness.   Crude exploitation, on the other hand will be the downfall of our environment and also our Science Museum.

Raymond Libreri,   13 January 2000.