Lmao the dichotomy (I think I'm using that word correctly) between the learned man and a fool...there's always a struggle in how to best use your time in research. There are some who espouse reading, read as many publications as you can in your field to learn as much as you can. By doing so, you keep your finger on the pulse of the field and have a better sense of understanding of relevant techniques and major questions. And of course, that is very important as a scientist looking to improve the lives of others.
But is also can't be everything. Doing all that, at least in my opinion, is just learning. Whose lives have you improved with all this reading?
Arguably, no one's yet. It's how you use the information - to ask meaningful questions, generate better hypotheses, design more thoughtful experiments - that ends up ensuring the time spent reading wasn't only for you. As a scientist, I think it's important not only to read, but also to do.
“On the Nature of Evil” is so powerful. It is scary how innate power, oppression, and greed are to humans.
I relate heavily to the point of how introspection in new environments is powerful. I’m a few days into my long travel bender, and I immediately feel like having different surroundings gives me much different perspectives on myself. Specifically, when I travel, I realize how small I am in this world and how little I actually know.
I’m writing this comment on a beach on Lake Victoria :)
Glad that line connected with you (makes sense given your chosen career path). I’ve read some about med school and how it’s negative impacts on doctors biases, so it’s good that you’re already putting this much about the relationship between science and the people that science affects.
Lmao the dichotomy (I think I'm using that word correctly) between the learned man and a fool...there's always a struggle in how to best use your time in research. There are some who espouse reading, read as many publications as you can in your field to learn as much as you can. By doing so, you keep your finger on the pulse of the field and have a better sense of understanding of relevant techniques and major questions. And of course, that is very important as a scientist looking to improve the lives of others.
But is also can't be everything. Doing all that, at least in my opinion, is just learning. Whose lives have you improved with all this reading?
Arguably, no one's yet. It's how you use the information - to ask meaningful questions, generate better hypotheses, design more thoughtful experiments - that ends up ensuring the time spent reading wasn't only for you. As a scientist, I think it's important not only to read, but also to do.
“On the Nature of Evil” is so powerful. It is scary how innate power, oppression, and greed are to humans.
I relate heavily to the point of how introspection in new environments is powerful. I’m a few days into my long travel bender, and I immediately feel like having different surroundings gives me much different perspectives on myself. Specifically, when I travel, I realize how small I am in this world and how little I actually know.
I’m writing this comment on a beach on Lake Victoria :)
Glad that line connected with you (makes sense given your chosen career path). I’ve read some about med school and how it’s negative impacts on doctors biases, so it’s good that you’re already putting this much about the relationship between science and the people that science affects.