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| Chemboy |
 Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:30 pm Post subject: The imagination and science |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 01 Jul 2006
Posts: 1061
Location: NY
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How much of a role do you feel having a good, flexible imagination plays in being skilled at science and mathematics? I feel there's a connection, because many topics on science and mathematics don't relate to things we can readily perceive, and so a good imagination that can grasp abstract concepts more readily helps one to understand certain topics. Thoughts?
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"There is a kind of lazy pleasure in useless and out-of-the-way erudition." -Jorge Luis Borges |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:57 am Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 3176
Location: Somewhere, nowhere.
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Well most of the best discoveries come from questioning every days things. So I'd say that gives us a unique gift to be able to think about that which has not been thought of before, thus allowing us to progress humankind, where others wouldn't. If you have an idea, being flexible and willing to explain as much as you can, having the skills of maths and science does yes in that case go hand in hand. But to quote myself:
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| "Science is light in the darkness. But it is also the darkness in the light." |
Imagination is a path towards the future and better understanding, but knowledge, (aka science) can also blind and halt that imagination if one does not place the two in the correct places.
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"Laugh at life or it will laugh at you". - SVRDW. |
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| Theoryofrelativity |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:51 am Post subject: Re: The imagination and science |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 1163
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| Chemboy wrote: |
| How much of a role do you feel having a good, flexible imagination plays in being skilled at science |
It would be useful, unfortunately too many scientists have zero imagination.
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'Time is the space between birth and death' by me. |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:37 am Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 3176
Location: Somewhere, nowhere.
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I think I'll drink to that. I think Einstein looking at today would agree, that is if we take his famous quote that is. And that makes me the second most poster on this forum.  (Not like I've been counting or obseving someones profile called Zelos.   )
2909 posts if I be honest and leave a record.
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"Laugh at life or it will laugh at you". - SVRDW. |
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Cosmic Wizard
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 2401
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition wrote: |
| Not like I've been counting or obseving someones profile called Zelos. |
next target ophiolite ? there's an ambitious target for you ...
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if you find this place too crowded or too confrontational, how about trying Philosophorum,
the amicable forum where small is beautiful and even the trolls are intelligent
biology without evolution is but stamp collecting |
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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The Doctor
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Posts: 3176
Location: Somewhere, nowhere.
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His quality over quantity has me aiming for about 50,000 posts I think . Yes I'm coming to get you O.  .
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"Laugh at life or it will laugh at you". - SVRDW. |
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| Ophiolite |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Radioactive Isotope
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 4564
Location: Scotland
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| 425 Chaotic Requisition wrote: |
| His quality over quantity has me aiming for about 50,000 posts I think . Yes I'm coming to get you O. . |
I retire in five years. You won't stand a chance then. 
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The Universe is not only weirder than we imagine it is weirder than we can imagine. J.B.S.Haldane. |
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| coltbishop |
| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:13 pm Post subject: Re: The imagination and science |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 33
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| Chemboy wrote: |
| How much of a role do you feel having a good, flexible imagination plays in being skilled at science and mathematics? I feel there's a connection, because many topics on science and mathematics don't relate to things we can readily perceive, and so a good imagination that can grasp abstract concepts more readily helps one to understand certain topics. Thoughts? |
I'm not sure math and science topics aren't readily perceived. Each connection is based upon a more basic fundamental, so perhaps a better understanding of the basics would be more beneficial than imagination. I think curiousity and a pursuit for truth is much more important than imagination. An overactive imagination and lack of scientific understanding leads to great fallicies like scientology or eugenics. |
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| Bunbury |
| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:26 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 26 Sep 2007
Posts: 743
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| Quote: |
| How much of a role do you feel having a good, flexible imagination plays in being skilled at science and mathematics? |
Science would not progress without imagination. Imagination is essential to developing a hypothesis, by what-iffing. Mathematics, perhaps not so much. |
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| cool_nikz |
| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:52 am Post subject: Re: The imagination and science |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 14
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
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| Chemboy wrote: |
| How much of a role do you feel having a good, flexible imagination plays in being skilled at science and mathematics? I feel there's a connection, because many topics on science and mathematics don't relate to things we can readily perceive, and so a good imagination that can grasp abstract concepts more readily helps one to understand certain topics. Thoughts? |
I may say that imagination can be a valuable factor to be good at science or math. most of the inventions were pictured in mind first before constructing it and curiosity also involves in here. When teaching a child of adding and subtracting numbers, teachers illustrate or let a child think or imagine some things that a child would enjoy, for an instance, 5 chocolates minus 2 chocolates.
But there's a difference between imagination and science/math. Science and math have limitations while imagination do not.
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love will endure when you keep it pure...^_^ |
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| Ophiolite |
| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: Re: The imagination and science |
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Forum Radioactive Isotope
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 4564
Location: Scotland
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| Theoryofrelativity wrote: |
| It would be useful, unfortunately too many scientists have zero imagination. |
I sense this is an emotional, rather than a reasoned conclusion: an opinion, rather than a fact.
I shall grant you that most scientists fall into the journeyman/artisan category. They are well schooled in the current concepts of their science and deliver small increments in knowledge using a pedestrian application of logic and methodology. The geniuses, the ground breakers, the paradigm shifters, giants with shoulders, these are necessarily rare.
However, even the also-rans, who develop, not create, who build a strcuture, not create its foundation, even they must have imagination to see the links between data, to circumvent problems, apply new perspectives. So, no, I cannot agree with you: the facts speak otherwise. The large majority of scientists have imaginations.
What I think you are saying is that too many scientists will not spend (waste ,in their words) any time considering alternative (fanciful) speculations), which masquerade as theories (but are really idle speculation).
Quite right too. Why should they? The real absence of imagination lies with those who are unable to perceive how flawed their 'theories' are.
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The Universe is not only weirder than we imagine it is weirder than we can imagine. J.B.S.Haldane. |
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