The Philosophy of Meteoritics: Awe, Faith, and Data

Why do governments spend billions doing something as esoteric as visiting an asteroid? Why does the Vatican support an astronomical observatory with a meteorite laboratory? And why do we individuals choose to spend our lives in pursuit of pure knowledge? The motivation behind our choices, both as individuals and as a society, affects the sorts of science that gets done; the kinds of answers that are found to be satisfying; and ultimately, the way in which we think of ourselves. (conference in english, open to the public)