01 SEP 2014 by ideonexus
Literature Asks Questions without Offering Answers
Even when writers profess to know nothing about the inner man, they often make the profession in a way which suggests that they really know plenty When D. H. Lawrence says (in his essay on Benjamin Franklin) "The soul of man is a dark forest," he says it with a kind of knowing Satanic smirk, so that the profession of ignorance actually becomes a species of knowledge. When I first read that ominous Lawrence sentence I was young and it was news to me that my soul was a dark forest. For several ... 1 
notes
notes24 JAN 2014 by ideonexus
Hippocratic Oath
I swear by Apollo the physician, by Asclepius, by Heahh, by Panacea and by all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will carry out, according to my ability and judgment, this oath and this indenture. To hold my teacher in this art equal to my own parents; to make him partner in my livelihood; when he is in need of money to share mine with him; to consider his family as my own brothers and to teach them this art, if they want to learn it, without fee or indenture; to impart...
1 The original.
20 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Learning About Forestry
How to start on my adventure—how to become a forester—was not so simple. There were no schools of Forestry in America. ... Whoever turned his mind toward Forestry in those days thought little about the forest itself and more about its influences, and about its influence on rainfall first of all. So I took a course in meteorology, which has to do with weather and climate. and another in botany, which has to do with the vegetable kingdom—trees are unquestionably vegetable. And another in ... 1 notes
notesHow Pinchot studied forestry, a subject that did not exist in his time, so he studied meteorology, geology, and botany.
06 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
It is Not Enough to Have Faith and Devotion
In order to imbue civilization with sound principles and enliven it with the spirit of the gospel, it is not enough to be illumined with the gift of faith and enkindled with the desire of forwarding a good cause. For this end it is necessary to take an active part in the various organizations and influence them from within. And since our present age is one of outstanding scientific and technical progress and excellence, one will not be able to enter these organizations and work effectively fr... 1 notes
notesReligious must understand science to truly appreciate the creation.
04 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Hippocratic Oath
Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the sick, and I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm, especially from abusing the bodies of man or woman, bond or free. And whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession, as well as outside my profession in my intercourse with men, if it be what should not be published abroad, I will never divulge, holding such things to be holy secrets. Folksonomies: oath
Folksonomies: oath
1 notes
notesNote how keeping the patient's privacy is important.
17 MAY 2012 by ideonexus
Engineering Requires Science
Engineering is quite different from science. Scientists try to understand nature. Engineers try to make things that do not exist in nature. Engineers stress invention. To embody an invention the engineer must put his idea in concrete terms, and design something that people can use. That something can be a device, a gadget, a material, a method, a computing program, an innovative experiment, a new solution to a problem, or an improvement on what is existing. Since a design has to be concrete, ...Folksonomies: science engineering
Folksonomies: science engineering
1 notes
notesScience passively observes, but Engineering must discover what it needs in order to make progress.
13 FEB 2012 by ideonexus
Nothing is Known by Guess
Nothing is known in our profession by guess; and I do not believe, that from the first dawn of medical science to the present moment, a single correct idea has ever emanated from conjecture: it is right therefore, that those who are studying their profession should be aware that there is no short road to knowledge; and that observation on the diseased living, examination of the dead, and experiments upon living animals, are the only sources of true knowledge; and that inductions from these ar...Folksonomies: empiricism medicine
Folksonomies: empiricism medicine
1 notes
notesIn medicine, everything is known from examination of the dead and experiments on living animals. A bit of wisdom from 1851.
13 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
Science in England
Science in England is not a profession: its cultivators are scarcely recognised even as a class. Our language itself contains no single term by which their occupation can be expressed. We borrow a foreign word [Savant] from another country whose high ambition it is to advance science, and whose deeper policy, in accord with more generous feelings, gives to the intellectual labourer reward and honour, in return for services which crown the nation with imperishable renown, and ultimately enrich... 1 notes
notesEnglish has no term to describe scientists, so it borrows the word "Savant" to describe the noble cause.
02 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Institute for Social Invention's Scientist's Oath
I vow to practice my profession with conscience and dignity; I will strive to apply my skills only with the utmost respect for the well-being of humanity, the earth, and all its species; I will not permit considerations of nationality, politics, prejudice, or material advancement to intervene between my work and this duty to present and future generations. I make this Oath solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.Focuses on dignity, respect, conservation, and clear, neutral judgement.
20 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
How To Enjoy Science
But you do not have to be a scientist to experience this sort of satisfaction. Nor do you have to make a profession of science to develop scientific attitudes, which will make you a better and a happier citizen. Research in the broadest sense is more a habit of mind and a method of approach to problems than a specific technique. Certainly there is nothing esoteric about it (as I hope this book has demonstrated about clinical psychological research, at least). You can develop this sort of atti...
1 Why let scientists have all the enjoyment?
