Limited
Intellect
“We
should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of
course, powerful muscles, but no personality.” Albert Einstein
When
I'm up in North Carolina, my cousins and I always have a dinner table
debate. Usually, it involves something to do with science, versus a
religious belief that comes from literal interpretation of the Bible.
Once the topic was evolution, and this time it was, of all things,
carbon dating! I tried to argue for the validity of carbon dating,
simply because of the science behind it, but I was feeble because, to
tell the truth, I didn't know exactly what the science was. They
wanted to say that carbon dating is just “an opinion.” So we went
round and round, with me justifying the scientific method, and them
asserting the belief that most of science is conjecture. Nobody came
out on top. I have now educated myself on the process of carbon
dating, so I will be ready next time—which, of course, will be on a
different topic. These debates are simply family sparring matches,
for fun. Some families play Bridge, or board games. We debate.
Einstein
was a very smart man. Not only did he come up with the theory of
relativity, but he also understood the limits of the human intellect.
He knew that we are limited at any given time to what had been
“proven” so far, and that it might change as we move forward. He
could project theoretically into the future, but even he, whose
intellect had major muscles, couldn't always prove what he theorized.
He knew, too, that heart and soul and personality are every bit as
important as intellect and knowledge. And, he understood that “soft
skills,” such as being able to relate to other humans, and being
able to communicate in an understandable way, were critical to
furthering the rich and fertile ground of the intellect.
It
has always been important to me to understand the “how and why”
of things, but my intellect has only meager muscles. Still, I try to
wrap my brain around at least a few big thoughts. Einstein said that
the single most important question for us to consider is this: “Is
the universe a friendly place, or not?” I believe that it is
unfolding as it should, and that humans, if we survive long enough,
will continue to push the boundaries of understanding both the
science, and the soul, of life.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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