Unlike the last section of Mr. Wilson in which I had thought that Wilson was almost too
eccentric to a fault, this section has now opened my eyes as to the point
behind his decision to run his “cabinet of wonder” in such a way. As the
section went on to explain, the Museum of Jurassic Technology specifically
harkens back to an age in which museums attempted to present the wondrous aspects
of life, or the Wunderkammern that
Weschler brings up, and not just completely true scientific information. In
this respect the museum can almost be viewed as a sideshow attraction with more
pertinent information, and in a sense that’s not a bad thing. Rather than
potentially being off-putting by presenting information in a bland way, Wilson’s
museum blends fact with fantasy to not only just present information, but
instill people with an idea for what can be achieved, such as when Weschler
spoke with Tom Eisner who, despite realizing Wilson’s information was wrong,
still enjoyed hearing said information. Although Weschler went to the trouble
of fact checking Wilson’s misinformation, he kind of destroyed the curiosity
and wonder that misinformation brought to the table. It really goes to show
that a human element can really throw a wrench into the rules of primary and
secondary research, and that it doesn’t always have to be factual to illicit or
have a point: rather, secondary research can simply relay an idea or emotion to
come across as pertinent depending on the culture/situation.
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