(Quotes are capsules of information, reinforcement, or enlightenment.)



“… children are innate scientists, probing, puttering, experimenting with the possible and impossible in a confused local universe. Children and scientists share an outlook on life. If I do this, what will happen? is both the motto of the child at play and the defining refrain of the physical scientist. Every child is observer, analyst, and taxonomist, building a mental life through a sequence of intellectual revolutions, constructing theories and promptly shedding them when they no longer fit. The unfamiliar and the strange—these are the domain of all children and scientists.”

James Gleick – From his book on the life of Richard Feynman


Coaching Point: Children and scientists, you wouldn’t ordinarily view them through the same lens, but the author shows a clear and compelling picture.

“… in a confused local universe”
and
“If I do this, what will happen?”
and
“The unfamiliar and the strange–these are the domain of all children and scientists.”

Children are what you and I used to be! We were scientists amid our surroundings. Playing, trying, testing, getting feedback – learning!

When did we stop that approach, choosing the safe route, living within the confines of the already known?

What has to happen to become as a child/scientist again, before we had a generational hardening of the institutions?


Copyright 2023 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.