Our history is full of examples of those who refused to accept change (often because it challenged ideas that were very important to them). You may already have studied one of the more famous examples of stubbornness. Early in the 1500's, many Europeans believed that the earth was the center of the universe. Around this earth, they said, moved ten “transparent crystal spheres.” The closest sphere was the moon, the next closest was the sun. The next five spheres held the “five known planets,” while the eighth sphere had the “fixed stars” (the last two spheres were created to accommodate small changes in the locations of stars). After the tenth sphere was heaven, with God and the “souls of the saved,” while the angels made sure the ten spheres moved “in perfect circles.” This idea gave some Christians a place for God, and it put humans at an important central place in the universe.
Starting in 1506, however, Nicolas Copernicus challenged these ideas. For twenty-six years, he developed an old Greek theory that the stars and planets (including the earth) moved around a central sun. It was the sun, he said, not the earth, that was central in the universe. Because this idea challenged the earth-centered (geocentric) principle, and the idea that God was outside the tenth sphere, some stubbornly rejected his views. One man, named Martin Luther, went far enough to call Copernicus a “fool” (“The fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside down.”), while the Catholic Church also stated that his theory was false.
The response to another man, named Galileo, was even stronger. After his challenge to the traditional view of the universe, he was “tried for heresy,” “imprisoned,” and even “threatened with torture.” The pressure on Galileo was strong enough that he rejected and cursed his own theory. It was because of the work of people like Copernicus and Galileo, however, that we understand the universe and are better able to explain how gravity works (many times, humans will at first reject an idea, but later will accept it, just like we at first hate a new song we hear on the radio, but later grow to really enjoy it).
The point of this story is this: If you want to be a fair thinker, it is essential that you not reject ideas right away. It’s so easy to say someone is wrong just because you don’t agree with them. Fairness means thinking about why the idea might be right, but also thinking about why the idea might be wrong. Weigh carefully what you hear, therefore, neither rejecting nor easily accepting it. Fairness, like other human traits, is an art form able to be developed with practice. Those who do develop it become more classy in their interactions with others, and those others will truly appreciate you for it.
Starting in 1506, however, Nicolas Copernicus challenged these ideas. For twenty-six years, he developed an old Greek theory that the stars and planets (including the earth) moved around a central sun. It was the sun, he said, not the earth, that was central in the universe. Because this idea challenged the earth-centered (geocentric) principle, and the idea that God was outside the tenth sphere, some stubbornly rejected his views. One man, named Martin Luther, went far enough to call Copernicus a “fool” (“The fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside down.”), while the Catholic Church also stated that his theory was false.
The response to another man, named Galileo, was even stronger. After his challenge to the traditional view of the universe, he was “tried for heresy,” “imprisoned,” and even “threatened with torture.” The pressure on Galileo was strong enough that he rejected and cursed his own theory. It was because of the work of people like Copernicus and Galileo, however, that we understand the universe and are better able to explain how gravity works (many times, humans will at first reject an idea, but later will accept it, just like we at first hate a new song we hear on the radio, but later grow to really enjoy it).
The point of this story is this: If you want to be a fair thinker, it is essential that you not reject ideas right away. It’s so easy to say someone is wrong just because you don’t agree with them. Fairness means thinking about why the idea might be right, but also thinking about why the idea might be wrong. Weigh carefully what you hear, therefore, neither rejecting nor easily accepting it. Fairness, like other human traits, is an art form able to be developed with practice. Those who do develop it become more classy in their interactions with others, and those others will truly appreciate you for it.
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