Replying to LO23876 --
Arun K. Tripathi provided us with, among other things, the following pithy
quotation:
"Most people in the world thrive on certainty and an absence of
puzzlement, which brings to them mental comfort and security. Scientists,
on the other hand, thrive on doubt and the existence of natural puzzles,
which brings to them energy and an urge to find answers. Doubt and a joy
in solving puzzles are the main engines in the practice of science."
--Julian Tobias (1911-1964)--
Though all of the quotations were exceptionally worthy of consideration,
this one in particular got me thinking, which leads me to offer this
suggested revision...if I may be so bold...
"[Learned] people in the world thrive on certainty and an absence of
puzzlement, which brings to them mental comfort and security. [People who
learn], on the other hand, thrive on doubt and the existence of natural
puzzles, which brings to them energy and an urge to find answers. Doubt
and a joy in solving puzzles are the main engines in the practice of
[learning]."
--me (1961 - ??),
with apoligies to Julian Tobias
I offer this revised quotation because I feel it gets at the deeper
psychological "truths" about who we are and what ails us. I have been
continually perplexed by the prevalence, at least in North American
society, of "fundamentalism"--which I would define as a basic state of
closed-mindedness, stemming perhaps from the perception that The Truth, in
whatever form, has already been apprehended. In fact, it would seem all
our disciplines, whether religious, economic, managerial (yes, even
learning org theory), political, pedagogical, or scientific (and so on)
are susceptible to fundamentalism. (Indeed, try coaching minor hockey in
Canada and you will come face-to-face with a particularly insidious group
of fundamentalists: the followers of Don Cherry.) The quotations provided
by our colleague Arun K. Tripathi all speak to the inherent
"unfinished-ness" of science--that science is about learning, not being
learned. In science, The Truth has yet to be apprehended, though we may
have discovered that many things are indeed true.
I must confess, I am a recovering "know-it-all". But I find that
ruminating on such pearls of wisdom (such as those shared by Arun) serve
as an antidote to my smugness. Thanks for sharing Arun.
Stepping down from the soap box now,
Bill Ayers,
Human Resource Services
The City of Winnipeg
100 - 510 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1B9
email: wayers@city.winnipeg.mb.ca
phone: (204) 986-2519
fax: (204) 986-3298
--"Ayers, Bill" <WAyers@city.winnipeg.mb.ca>
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