2018 is upon us, have you taken time lately to gaze at the heavens? During this winter holiday viewing the moons of Jupiter reminded me to . . . dream lofty dreams.
In 1632 Galileo Galilei published his seminal work Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. My 1953 hardcover copy is of the cherished books in my library. It reminds me that persistent efforts leads to discoveries that benefit future generations.
In the forward, is a reminder of the power of the written word as penned by Albert Einstein, “A man is here revealed who possesses the passionate will, the intelligence, and the courage to stand up as the representative of rational thinking against the host of those who, relying on ignorance of the people and the indolence of teachers in the priests and scholars garb, maintain and defend their positions of authority.”
Galileo is considered one of the most influential thinkers in history, why? First his uncanny ability to use his senses to skillfully and methodically collect data. Second, his systematic use of logic to improve the telescope that would help him to prove his theories. Finally his ability to disregard the facts and criticism of his time made him one of the foremost thinkers in history.
Galileo epitomized the critical thinker. Someone who is able to apply that mode of thinking—about any subject, content, or problem—in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it.
Galileo’s example demonstrates that critical thinking has three dimensions: an analytic, an evaluative, and a creative component. His originality as a scientist lay in his method of inquiry. First he reduced problems to a simple set of terms on the basis of everyday experience and common-sense logic. Then he analyzed and resolved them according to simple mathematical descriptions. The success with which he applied this technique to the analysis of motion opened the way for modern mathematical and experimental physics.
We may never make the extraordinary contributions of Galileo or Einstein but striving to achieve a worthwhile goal in our own lives drives creativity and provides intellectual fulfillment. Then again, we just might!
Indeed, “Dream lofty dreams and so shall you become.”
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