Families that Discuss together, stay together

Families that Discuss together, stay together
Families that Discuss together, stay together

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Evolutions of Thought




Shortly before his passing, Steve Jobs shared his thoughts regarding religion and death, “I like to believe there’s an afterlife. I like to believe the accumulated wisdom doesn't just disappear when you die, but somehow it endures.”[1] Aristotle hoped as much while he sought and taught truth and wisdom. He and his team were more distinctly philosophers than scientists. However, his Physics left an enduring foundation for modern science. Galileo and his contemporaries emerged from the dark ages and for the first time in history separated mathematical quantification from philosophy, creating separate and distinct studies of thought. The necessary separation of religion and science during the Renaissance allowed for a greater breadth and depth study of the sciences, independent of the coercive powers of the church. Today, as the 500-year battle between science and religion gradually subdues, we may find that empirical science is merging with philosophy and religion once again, but this time they may compliment and give evidence one to the other.
The very essence of science is the study of cause and effect in nature and since science builds from what is known before, it is vital that we study from the Ancient Greeks in order to fully understand modern science.[2] Heidegger boldly stated, “Without Aristotle’s Physics, there would have been no Galileo.”[3] Aristotle based his science upon the natural world around him. He studied things as they are and appear. His study of nature was a search for “causes” and assumed that everything is exactly the way we observe it. His writings are philosophical and easily integrated into religious theory. The early Christians felt his approach to the study of nature fit very well with Christianity. “The idea that every organism is beautifully crafted for a particular function…in the grand scheme of nature certainly leads to the thought that all this has been designed by somebody.”[4] As a result, Aristotle’s physics stood as the irrefutable authority for nearly two thousand years.
Although Aristotle’s contemporaries may have ventured upon the path to Modern Science, Aristotle remained true to a holistic philosophy and believed that everything in nature followed a natural continuity, meaning that finite indivisible bodies did not exist. He believed “a line cannot be made of points, if the line is continuous and the point indivisible”.[5] Aristotle refuted Zeno’s paradox of the flying arrow that states for an object to be in motion, it must change place and therefore a flying arrow stands still in the instants, but moves from place to place. Zenos says that if everything is always at rest when it is at a place equal to it, while what is changing place is always doing so in the now, the flying arrow is motionless. Aristotle denied that a line could be composed of many finite points or that time is composed of many infinite “nows”. His holistic approach allowed him only to see things as they are, such as an arrow floating through the air in a continuous motion or time passing in a continuous flow. Unlike Zenos and later, Galileo, he could not separate motion or time into parts.
Aristotelian philosophy did not take into consideration serious empirical experimentation. Though it boasted of a broad sense of nature, it was without substantial quantitative determinations. In order for a real breakthrough in science, it would be necessary for science to separate from philosophy. Two thousand years after Aristotle, the renaissance brought new thought and with it a new dimension of mathematical science. Where Aristotelians embraced his philosophical and holistic view of nature, brave new minds separated the mechanics of physics from the philosophy, at the perils of facing The Inquisition. Galileo, who consequently passed his last nine years in house arrest, was the most influential and known as the Father of Modern Science.[6]
Knowledge builds upon knowledge and Galileo depended upon Aristotle’s foundations for a starting point, of which he could build. He refuted Aristotle’s statement that a line cannot be composed of an infinite quantity of finite points. He explains that a single point can be understood to be equal to a line. In the diagram below Galileo shows two equal surfaces and two bodies and how they will “go continually and equally diminishing during the same time…until finally the surfaces and the solids terminate their preceding perpetual equality by one solid and one surface becoming a very long line and [the other] solid and the other surface [becoming] a single point.”[7]
In the proof below, find the semi-circle AFB, the rectangular ADEB and the triangle CDE. Now imagine that they are spinning on their axis CF. The semi-circle becomes a soup bowl, the rectangle becomes a cylinder and the triangle becomes a cone. Now, in your mind, remove the cylinder, leaving the bowl and the cone in place.

Galileo next proves that the volume of the bowl is equal to the cone by first drawing a plane parallel to the top of the bowl and placing it at DE. As it is moved up through line GN, it cuts the bowl at points G. I. O. and N. and the cone at points H. and L. Galileo explains,
“This leaves the part of the cone CHL always equal to the part of the [bowl] whose cross section is represented by the ‘triangles’ GAI and BON…[as a result,] the plane at any level, provided that it is parallel to the base, or circle of diameter DE, always makes the two solids equal; that is, the part of the cone CHL and the upper part of the [bowl]. Likewise it makes equal the two surfaces that are the bases of those solids; that is, the washer and the circle HL.”[8]
As the plane moves up and gradually diminishes the area of the solids equally, it leaves a point at both the top of the cone at C and the circumference of the bowl, thereby making each of them now equal to a single point. As it turns out, Zenos was not far from the path of modern science since its path diverged from holistic philosophy to the separation of things into distinct separate parts.
            Galileo’s empirical studies led the world through an explosion of discovery. One of the most important achievements was his application of mathematics to the natural phenomena. He greatly influenced Newton and later, Einstein.
Whether we are still in the era of modern science or in the post-modern era, even now, we know that knowledge builds upon knowledge. It appears that philosophy and science are merging once again as in Aristotle’s day. Darwinism may be abroad in the land, nevertheless, many scientists are leaning toward philosophical ideas, such as Intelligent Design. Sir Arthur Eddington implies philosophical inquiry when he states, “We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about 'and'.”[9] Galileo expounded upon the numeric values, but it is Aristotle that teaches us to expound upon the “and”. John Lewis, a renowned scientist and advisor to the European and NASA space programs, brings science and theological philosophy together, “The Universe is God’s Handiwork; therefore, if the scriptures are God’s handiwork and the universe is God’s handiwork then science and religion represent two independent witnesses of the creation.”[10]
Today, with an array of epistemological avenues such as Aristotle’s philosophical reasoning, Galileo’s proofs, and God’s revelation, our world is heading for another grand explosion of discovery. The diversity of thought in the scientific and philosophical views provides distinct evidence, but when examined together they compliment each other and furnish a holistic panorama of truth. Precisely, as wisdom from Aristotle and Galileo is secure within the foundation of Western Thought, the wisdom of Steve Jobs is far from disappearing. Perhaps this realization led Jobs to ponder the melding of science and metaphysics when he commented on the existence of an after-life. “Maybe that's why,” says Steve, “I didn't like putting on/off switches on Apple devices.”[11]




[1] Walter Isaacson, Jobs' Biography: Thoughts On Life, Death And Applehttp://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141653658/steve-jobs-a-computer-icon-on-life-death-and-apple, October 2011
[2] Aristotle’s Physics, translated by Joe Sachs, (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2011), 1, punctuation is updated.
[3]  Martin Heidegger, The Principle of Reason, trans. Reginald Lilly, (Indiana University Press, 1991), 62-63
[4] Michael Fowler, Aristotlehttp://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/aristot2.html, September 2008
[5] Aristotle’s Physics, translated by Joe Sachs, (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2011), 147
[6] Einstein writes, "Propositions arrived at by purely logical means are completely empty as regards reality. Because Galileo realized this, and particularly because he drummed it into the scientific world, he is the father of modern physics—indeed, of modern science altogether,” Einstein, Albert, Ideas and Opinions, translated by Sonja Bargmann. (London: Crown Publishers, 1954), 271
[7] Galileo Galilei, Two New Sciences, translated by Stillman Drake, (Toronto: Wall & Emerson, Inc., 1989), 35-37
[8] Galileo Galilei, Two New Sciences, translated by Stillman Drake, (Toronto: Wall & Emerson, Inc., 1989), 35-37

[9] A. L. Mackay, A Dictionary of Scientific Quotations, (Bristol and Philadelphia: Institute of Physics Publishing, 1991), 79

[10] LDS Church, Our Divine Creator: John S. Lewishttps://lds.org/pages/we-lived-with-god?lang=eng, 2011

[11] Walter Isaacson, Jobs' Biography: Thoughts On Life, Death And Applehttp://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141653658/steve-jobs-a-computer-icon-on-life-death-and-apple, October 2011


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Education Reform and Ancient Chinese Secrets

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 States across the nation are scrambling to solve the prevalent problem of the achievement gap in schools. Utah business leaders cry out to the “village” for help. “If we want Utah to stay competitive, business leaders believe raising the education level for all kids is key.”[1] The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now recognizes that the gaps are steadily growing. Director Jennifer Alexander states, “We’ve got to do something to fix these numbers,” adding that it will take “bold reforms and bold leadership.”[2] From ever-increasing performance awards to ever-increasing numbers of teacher’s aids, school districts implement dozens of programs designed to increase achievement. Experience shows that student achievement has declined over the past several decades and yet society continues to implement new programs and technology to solve these issues. Solutions lie not in complicated plans and reforms, but in the ideas we glean from an array of great literature and histories. These teachings are available to any at a small price compared to the current plan of costly programs. As we look to the past, we remedy the present. I propose we delve into some ancient Chinese secrets and ask Lao Tzu and Confucius to consider the remedy of today’s educational ills.

It would be efficacious to understand the underlying premise of their teachings. Living in an immoral and degenerate society, both Lao Tzu and Confucius[3] recognized the urgency for reform, not from the top-down, but from deep within the individual. In a sagacious manner, they counseled their people to return to the Way (Tao) of the ancients. Lao Tzu gracefully describes this return to Tao: 

Hold on to the Tao of old in order to master the
Things of the present.
From this, one may know
the primeval beginning(of the universe).
This is called the bond of Tao.[4] 

In the literal translation, bond refers to “a thread” and indicates discipline or principle, thus, the actual study and lifestyle of Tao is its fundamental concept. The authors of Tao devoted their lives to promote the Way as a panacea for societal corruption. Lao Tzu describes that the action of the Tao is to perpetually return to it, suggesting that human nature inherently and eventually pulls us away if we are not careful to check ourselves: 

Reversion is the action of Tao.
Weakness is the function of Tao.
All things in the world come from being.
And being comes from non-being.[5] 

Lao Tzu’s two basic concepts underlying the Tao are the non-being and the being. Both are not without the other and come from each other. For example, imagine a clay pot. The usefulness of the pot is not found in the clay, but in the emptiness. The non-being is to the emptiness of the pot as the being is to the clay. Non-being suggests a state of calmness, an absolute peacefulness and purity of mind. It may be that being implies a soul empty of worldly cares and primed for the Tao. If so, then the non-being could be those virtues that fill the soul.

Invariably existing before heaven and earth, the eternal Tao is without beginning or end and operates in a manner corresponding to irrefutable laws and principles. One of Tao’s earliest commentators, Han Fei Tzu states that, “Tao is that by which all things become what they are.”[6]  Here, the key word is become and hints of transformation. Tao provides a coarse of action by which we both prime and fill our waiting and ready soul with virtue (te).

Supposing that our Chinese sages were correct and that Tao is foundational to all learning, then I propose that our educational reform take the direction of the Way. According to Confucius, learning pertains to one’s actual conduct first before the acquisition of academic knowledge. He believes that learning is a mixture of scholarly studies, which he calls cultural refinement built upon native substance, which is the moral character that is learned in early childhood. In other words, a student must bring with him a foundation of virtue before he can add to it academic scholarship. Confucius maintains that a man becomes a gentleman, a possessor of Goodness, “Only when culture and native substance are perfectly mixed and balanced.”[7] What virtues do our children learn outside the home and away from the family?

Commentator Wang Shu[8] compared the education of his day with that of the ancients, “The primary focus of students in ancient times was to cultivate themselves by being meticulous in speech and careful in action, rather than merely memorizing, reciting, and composing texts…Students nowadays, on the other hand, devote themselves exclusively to memorizing, reciting and composing texts with the sole purpose of passing the civil service exams and obtaining official positions. Very few of them never get around to paying careful attention to their actual behavior or speech. Perhaps this is why they pale in comparison to the ancients.” I find it very interesting that Wang Shu wrote this in the fifteenth century and it is still extraordinarily applicable to our day, over 500 years later.

The universal call for academic achievement seems to be to get the students to achieve scholastically. This process of enticing students to learn often requires incentives, rewards and external motivation. The dictionary enlightens us to the true meaning of educate, which means “to draw forth”.[9]  A teacher cannot educate, but can only help a student educate himself or “draw forth” what is already there. As our Chinese sages see it, the only way is to teach those who have the desire to learn. That desire is nurtured more abundantly as children are taught the Way at the feet of a loving and firm parent. Only then do they go on to seek higher learning with great desire and accountability. Confucius spoke of the great responsibility of the student to learn. He suggests that the teacher require great inner desire on the part of the student, “I will not open the door for a mind that is not already striving to understand, nor will I provide words to a tongue that is not already struggling to speak. If I hold up one corner of a problem, and the student cannot come back to me with the other three, I will not attempt to instruct him again.”[10]

Ultimately parents are the real solution to education reform as they carry the weighty obligation to teach virtue to their children. Confucius teaches the best order for learning the Tao, “Those who are born understanding [the Way] are the best; those who come to understand it through learning are second. Those who find it difficult to understand and yet persist in their studies come next. People who find it difficult to understand but do not even try to learn are the worst of all.”[11]

The inertia of our current path of education with its reforms and programs will be a difficult one to break. States will do well to learn from the ancient Chinese sages. Instead of pushing and even coercing students to achieve through extrinsic rewards, they ought to allow parents to assume the duty of teaching virtue to their children before sending them to the schools. Parents hold the very key to change as they begin to understand the power of Tao in rearing their growing children. No educational program can compete with the simple and ideal foundation of learning virtue first at home and in all aspects of life.   

[1] Richard Platt, Leaders say 'village' mentality is key to educational success, http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=690&sid=15808814&title=leaders-say-village-mentality-is-key-to-educational-success, June 2011 

[2] Abbe Smith, Connecticut students show little progress on Nation's Report Card, http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/11/02/news/doc4eb1ec0c42687228221092.txt, November 2011 

[3] Both sages lived in the sixth century BC. 

[4] The Way of Lao Tzu: Tao-te Ching, translated by Wing-Tsit Chan, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1963), chapter 14, pg. 124 (The comma added on the third line was added for reading comprehension.) 

[5] Ibid, chapter 40, pg 173

[6] The Way of Lao Tzu: Tao-te Ching, translated by Wing-Tsit Chan, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1963), 7 

[7] Confucius, Analects, translated by Edward Slingerland, (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 2003), 6.18, pg. 59 

[8] A virtuous and effective minister of the Ming Dynasty who believed in the “essential unity of knowledge and action, with action being the natural unfolding of any sort of true knowledge, as well as in his assertion that the purpose of learning is realized in words and actions, rather than empty speculation.” (Edward Slingerland)

[9] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980), 833

[10] Confucius, Analects, translated by Edward Slingerland, (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 2003), 7.8, pg. 66

[11] Ibid, 16.9, pg. 196