I have no doubt that no one ever calls the beginning of the third decade of the XXI century the “dark ages.”
It is merely impossible to call the period mentioned above a time of darkness. The internet and broadly defined digitalization prevent us from naming the third decade as the “dark ages.” From history, we know that the phrase “dark ages” is used for Medieval Times. The titled term is derived from the Latin term “saeculum obscurum,” which the Roman Catholic cardinal Caesar Baronius created. The Catholic clergyman used the phrase to refer specifically to the lack of source material from the X-XI centuries. It was not a label for the whole Medieval era. For Baronius, the end of the “dark ages” ended with the Gregorian reforms of 1046. From this year, the survival rate of many documents and manuscripts increased. But why do I write about all these things?
Because I believe that the upcoming decade can be the most science-astonishing era that humans can experience. Upcoming times can be the brightest period for cosmic science.
Why do I believe in it? I assume it because thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (it will be launched on the 31st of October 2021 [I wrote this text on the 1st of April, 2021*]), we will discover and understand many new cosmic issues that for today are unreachable for us. Moreover, we will see new space objects on an unprecedented scale. Undoubtedly, JWST will fundamentally change our understanding of the universe. I suppose that you already know, my Dear Friend, why I have no doubt that current years won’t be regarded as “dark ages.” Perhaps only the Third World War could prevent humans’ civilization from drawing the knowledge from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Do I believe that thanks to JWST, we will find answers to our fundamental questions?
On the contrary, I think that we will get some new hints and clues regarding many issues. Still, I am convinced that the more we will know, the more questions and doubts will arise.
The last thing I want to stress in this post is that by managing the www.adammazek.com website and writing many texts, I will also contribute to the hope that posterity won’t name the beginning of the third decade of the XXI century as “dark ages.”
* I published this post on the 17th of February, 2022. On this day, the James Webb Space Telescope already have sent the first picture (selfie). NASA launched JWST on the 25th of December, 2021.
