HS #1 2015.8.4
Something to Ponder .
. .
Holland Sentinel Readers – Greetings! And welcome to a new monthly
column in the Sentinel: Something to Ponder.
If you’re like me, the best part of reading a newspaper column is getting
a new perspective, a different slant, a thought nugget to chew for a
while. I hope this column encourages
some of that.
A quick introduction: I’ve lived in the Holland community for just
over 25 years, initially teaching mathematics at Hope College and more recently
assuming the chair of the Department of Mathematics at Davenport University. Though
a mathematician by profession, I love the liberal arts in general and choral
music in particular – a passion presently fulfilled by singing with the Holland
Chorale. Out door recreation rounds out my life in Holland.
Much to its credit, Holland is a stimulating place to live. Riding my bike to church on Sundays carries me
past several others - each with its own customs and traditions. I find myself regretting that one must choose
from among them. However, from the divine
perspective, the various styles of worship offered each week might be a rather
lovely bouquet.
Similarly, Holland is a community rich in heritage, while
also containing a bouquet of cultures and ideologies. The diversity, as any reader of the Holland
Sentinel will attest, provides fertile soil for the exchange of ideas and
opinions. Indeed, the Sentinel serves as
a crucible in which we in the community can offer our opinions and beliefs to
the scrutiny of our neighbors to be read, thoughtfully considered, debated, and
even refuted.
Are these
conversations about ideas, opinions and beliefs worth the trouble? What’s the value in reflecting on our own
beliefs and learning about others? Is it
a sign of hubris to attempt to change another’s opinion? Do beliefs even matter all that much? Isn’t what a person does more important than
what s/he believes? The English author and theologian G.K. Chesterton , who was
a significant influence on C.S. Lewis,
had strong opinions here. He wrote, “There are some people, and I am one
of them – who think that the most practical and important thing about a man is
his view of the universe.”
How interesting. If
beliefs matter that much, then what should be our reaction when our beliefs are
challenged? One extreme is given by the judge, who hearing the prosecutor make
his case, agreed, “You’re right!” Then when the defense submitted her argument,
responded again, “You’re right!” When the bailiff explained that they couldn’t
both be correct, the judge exclaimed, “You’re right too!”
But certainly the other extreme has its dangers also. I hope that I have a richer understanding of
the world than I did as a teenager. Should I then resolutely hold to the
beliefs that I had then?
Aristotle may have found the golden middle ground with the
attributed claim, “The mark of an educated mind is the ability to entertain an
idea without accepting it.” Intriguing! Don’t necessarily change one’s mind, but
approach a new idea with the willingness to consider it honestly and be willing
to change one’s views. Seems like a good
quality for a mind to have. Is this what Aristotle meant by an educated mind?
An engineering
student in my college physics class once complained that the quantum mechanics
and relativity we were learning were useless to his career. I have never
forgotten the professor’s rely, “If you
only know the things you need to know, you are just one step away from being
ignorant, and at any point you might cross over the line.”
Made sense. According
to this definition, a heart surgeon who knows and is interested in nothing
except the anatomy of the heart might be flirting with ignorance, while a hamburger
flipper who reads books and travels would be far from it. Hopefully this is what Aristotle had in mind
when he used the phrase “educated mind; ” not necessarily a mind trained with a
formal education, but instead one that is expansive and inquisitive, one that approaches
a new idea with relish and curiosity rather than resistance and fear.
So, friends, this is what I hope we can do by pondering
together. We live in a vibrant community rich in ideas and thoughts, so I look
forward to offering mine and receiving yours via “Letters to the Editor” and
personal emails. Here’s to the future.
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I love that professor's quote on ignorance - I'm going to use it on my kids, who make the same complaints about Freshman algebra and biology ("you just wait", I keep thinking). It's a lot less wordy than the argument I use on them in favor of seemingly "worthless" classes, which involves Batman.
ReplyDeleteIn the first new Batman movie, there's a scene where Bruce Wayne's house is burning down, and he's caught under a beam. Alfred, after failing to pry the beam off of him, yells to him "Come on, sir! What's the use of all those pushups if you can't even push a beam off your chest?!" Well, most of us will never find ourselves in his position, but few of us doubt that pushups are good for our bodies. The same can be said for most cardio and weight-training: unless your job is a bike messenger, construction worker, farmer, professional athlete, or a few others, you don't "need" strength, endurance, flexibility or power to do your job. But we all still know it's a good idea to stay in shape. But I've never heard someone say "I don't understand why we need to do pushups; I'll never use them in my job."
The analogy is that literature, science, math, history, music, art, languages, and sports all challenge different parts of our brain. It's not so much about filling our brains with content as it is making them flexible, strong, fast, and powerful. And it would seem from current research that our brains do indeed change physically the more we learn and absorb on a variety of topics.