wandering
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imagine if we facilitated feet/soul/mind wandering.
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via
“Wandering” because we are all wanderers, living on top of a planet called Earth, moving through infinite space. “Planet” comes from the Greek, it means “the wanderer, the one that moves in the sky.”
Now let’s examine the scientist part. I am by training and by profession a scientist. But foremost I am a human being. As a human being, I wander through space. As a scientist, I of course also wander through space. But being a theoretical physicist and a scientist, I also wander through the realm of thoughts. All humans do. However, scientists make careers out of thinking, not a bad thing I must say. And in the process, I wonder (pun intended) where I am going. I don’t mean through space, that much can be understood and accepted. I wonder where I am “going.” You had that thought I am sure, probably many times.
Why would a scientist’s wandering thoughts be more profound than anyone else’s? Actually, I don’t think they are. Since though a scientist is trained to methodically think, to consistently think when developing scientific ideas, the wanderings of a scientist thoughts might be interesting and more applicable to general situations than just individual, private thinking wanderings. That’s all.
or they might too be blinded by their consistency.. no?
Now the word “science” comes from the Latin word scientia, which the Wikipedia tells us means “knowledge.” It is a special “systematic enterprise” that can be put to tests. Science is a special kind of human knowledge (yes, it is human, after all) that always seeks to disprove itself.
ah.. wikipedia..
You might think that is some sort of punishing or self-inflicted nasty activity. As humans, aren’t we after all not happy when we are proven wrong? Don’t we want stability, please no changes? When someone tells us that we are wrong, don’t we get defensive and, often, indignant?
Well, a particular scientist might not be happy when her theory is proven wrong. Science, however, progresses by many, many scientific ideas becoming wrong, upon examination, careful examination, shown to be wrong. Some that survive, at least for some time, we view them as successful ideas.
In some ways science progresses over the dead ideas, which in the process become discarded and thrown out. So if you are a young person and want to become a scientist, get used to the idea that your success will most likely require you being wrong, probably many times and occasionally being right.
the it is me – ness
In our wanderings, we will ask how will science change, how will it evolve (we already established that by its nature, must change). We will examine some fundamental challenges facing current science today. Often progress occurs not when we carry out business as usual but when we are facing some profound challenges.
calculus-ish – perpetual beta ness
..any scientific wanderings have to be relevant to non-scientists. And it is my strong world view that other humans should understand what scientists are saying. Many of my colleagues probably don’t agree with me on this, holding the view that science is too difficult, too “esoteric,” you need years of study to understand it, etc. Fair enough, it may not be easy. But it is the job of scientists to communicate what they are doing and making accessible what they are practicing.
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nov 2015 – from Mary Ann..
The formula for overturning the world, we didn’t seek it in books, but
in wandering. – GUY DEBORDOriginal Tweet: https://twitter.com/MaryAnnReilly/status/668055964239708160
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Debord
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be you. 