13 Conversations About One Thing

"Physics, in actuality, is a never-ending search made by human beings. Gods and angels do not come bearing perfectly formed theories to disembodied prophets who instantly write textbooks... Conversations are essential to science. But the off-the-cuff nature of conversation poses a difficulty. It is rare, even in these digital times, to have a complete transcript of every word spoken between two people on a given day, even if that conversation someday leads to a new understanding of the world."

It would be nice if this blog could become a permanent record of the evolution of an idea. Hell, it would be nice if actual conversation took place here. While I have yet to lose faith in science, I occasionally lose faith in scientists, especially self-proclaimed 'thoughtful' scientists. Faith is a limited resource, which can be replenished or depleted by observation. Never assume that you know how much of it there is when you begin, or that you can get it back once it's lost.

[Pause for not-so-random philosopher quote.]

"Who has not experienced meeting a person distinguished by prominence or fame or even by real qualities, or a person of whom one wants something: a good job, to be loved, to be admired? In any such circumstances many people tend to be at last mildly anxious, and often they 'prepare' themselves for the important meeting. They think of topics that might interest the other; they think in advance how they might begin the conversation; some even map out the whole conversation, as far as their own part is concerned. Or they may bolster themselves up by thinking about what they have: their past successes, their charming personality (or their intimidating personality if this role is more effective), their social position, their connections, their appearance and dress. In a word, they mentally balance their worth, and based on this evaluation, they display their wares in the ensuing conversation. The person who is good at this will indeed impress many people, although the created impression is only partly due to the individual's performance and largely due to the poverty of most people's judgment. If the performer is not so clever, however, the performance will appear wooden, contrived, boring and will not elicit much interest.

In contrast are those who approach a situation by preparing nothing in advance, not bolstering themselves up in any way. Instead, they respond spontaneously and productively; they forget about themselves, about the knowledge, the positions they have. Their egos do not stand in their way, and it is precisely for this reason that they can fully respond to the other person and that person's ideas. They give birth to new ideas, because they are not holding onto anything. ...they [know] that something new will be born if only they have the courage to let go and to respond. They come fully alive in the conversation, because they do not stifle themselves by anxious concern with what they have. Their own aliveness is infectious and often helps the other person to transcend his or her egocentricity. Thus the conversation ceases to be an exchange of commodities (information, knowledge, status) and becomes a dialogue in which it does not matter any more who is right. The duelists begin to dance together, and they part not with triumph or sorrow - which are equally sterile - but with joy."

These are the conversations that are worth having, and the ones that history should remember. But they are rare. And they almost never take place where or when you want them to.

Fortunately, for those of us who recognize that output reflects input, there is a wealth of interesting people and ideas scattered around the internet. A dialogue of sorts, perhaps, but one between you and the universe, driven entirely by your ability to ask questions and then go looking for the answers.