The movement of the Enlightenment was rooted in reason. The two concepts, that of enlightenment and rational thinking, had to be linked together, for without reason the sort of reforms the philosophers of the Enlightenment were striving for would be impossible to achieve. Those who called themselves “enlightened” had to be ready to question andContinue reading “Experience and Actuality: Voltaire’s Criticism of Armchair Philosophers (Part 1 of 3)”
Tag Archives: nature
Water
Water was not like her. Water always found a way, dripping through the tiniest hole, wearing away boulders and mountains and continents, flowing wherever it wished. Water was not like her. Water could not be stopped, only delayed. It would lie behind dam walls for decades upon decades, but eventually the dam would burst andContinue reading “Water”
Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 2 of 2)
More than everything else, however, the expedition undertaken by Delambre and Méchain in the waning years of the 18th century fundamentally changed what it meant to be a scientist. In fact, it encouraged the invention of the term itself and the very idea of a scientist. “In 1792, Jean-Paul Marat had been the first personContinue reading “Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 2 of 2)”
Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 1 of 2)
Dr. David M. Burns once advised his colleagues to “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.” This attitude towards success was not always so widespread throughout the scientific community. There was aContinue reading “Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 1 of 2)”
Gone By
Every day I wake and Around me squats a city of steel and concrete. Roaring trucks trundle past my window, Their exhaust leaving trails in the still morning air, and the Howling wind breaking against half-finished buildings keeps me from sleeping. Deep breath in, I close my eyes; imagining the Arbors of my youth, falling asleepContinue reading “Gone By”