The WELL: inkwell.vue.393: Eva Timothy, "Lost in Learning"

#48: Rip Van Winkle (keta) Wed 13 Oct 10 11:22

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:22:00 PDT

Oh yes, wanted to add that a wonderful place where you can find some of the modern Muirs and Galileos is at the annual Bioneers Conference this weekend, in Marin and online. www.bioneers.org [Read entire topic]

#47: Rip Van Winkle (keta) Wed 13 Oct 10 11:20

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:20:00 PDT

Beautiful quote Gail, and I also want to thank you Eva.

>What an exciting time it must have been to be seeking knowledge as the mysteries of nature began unfolding to human understanding.

I think it's still an exciting time, with the only difference being that we're pushed now unwillingly to the threshold of new discoveries by the overwhelming pressures our species has placed on natural orders. But we have to discover to survive, and I think your insights hold a beautiful key to how we do that - by spending more time and attention and passion at the crossroads between art & science! [Read entire topic]

#46: Eva Koleva Timothy (sees-the-day) Wed 13 Oct 10 10:33

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:33:00 PDT

Thank you all!

And thanks <Gail> for that wonderful excerpt. It paints science in a very romantic light and is a vivid reminder of why science was originally called Natural Philosophy.

The striking olfactory imagery is a fantastic example of the way every sense was then engaged in trying to make sense of the natural world. What an exciting time it must have been to be seeking knowledge as the mysteries of nature began unfolding to human understanding.

The crossover between logic and lyric, math and music, perception and passion is a tremendous catalyst for discovery generally. While it may make sense to divide academic disciplines and occupational functions from a research and operations perspective learning almost always happens best in the crossroads and overlaps. Divorcing art from science is a recipe for mediocrity in both realms.

Celebrating Columbus Day this last week, I enjoyed reminiscing about this map maker sitting in his study and poring over texts and atlases in an effort to deduce the actual circumference of the known world. Such a calculation he hoped would support his theory of a westward passage. The thing is, if he had left it at that, a theory or conjecture void of feeling and actual exploration it would have been a footnote in history at best.

Being a photographer, I think my favorite art/science connection would have to be Galileo gazing through his telescope. That sense of peering through a lens and seeing something both unexpected and awe-inspiring is a familiar one. I love that before he even started taking notes about what he was seeing, he simply tried to recreate the scene he witnesseed as a freehand sketch.

He could probably have taken copious technical notes to the same effect, but there is something about the emotional impact of art, something humanistic, that is crucial our efforts to make sense of our world. [Read entire topic]

#45: Lisa Harris (lrph) Wed 13 Oct 10 06:34

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:34:00 PDT

Thanks, Eva! [Read entire topic]

#44: Julie Sherman (julieswn) Wed 13 Oct 10 04:52

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:52:00 PDT

I want to thank Eva, Lisa and everyone else for an interesting conversation over the last several weeks. Now our attention in Inkwell turns to a new discussion, but this topic will remain open indefinitely into the future for more discussion. [Read entire topic]

#43: Gail Williams (gail) Tue 12 Oct 10 11:49

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:49:00 PDT

I love early science writing! Instead of rushing to publish some tiny factoid, early scientists were often able to explore nearly everything known so far about their area of expertise along with presenting their new observations. This also meant that amateurs were more welcome as contributors to thought. Perhaps John Muir's writings about the California Sierra Nevada are an example of a crossover with literature, to follow the art theme. Passionate love letters to the mountains, combines with interesting observations of natural phenomena. What is it like to be in a tall tree in a mountain storm? Muir had to find out and to write about it with gusto and 19th century passion, and that provided an astonishingly effective form of lobbying for preservation of wildlands in his day.

Here's a paragraph of description from his observations riding out a wind storm in a tall conifer tree in order to experience the world of mountain forests:

\<b>" I kept my lofty perch for hours, frequently closing my eyes to enjoy the music by itself, or to feast quietly on the delicious fragrance that was streaming past. The fragrance of the woods was less marked than that produced during warm rain, when so many balsamic buds and leaves are steeped like tea; but, from the chafing of resiny branches against each other, and the incessant attrition of myriads of needles, the gale was spiced to a very tonic degree. And besides the fragrance from these local sources there were traces of scents brought from afar. For this wind came first from the sea, rubbing against its fresh, briny waves, then distilled through the redwoods, threading rich ferny gulches, and spreading itself in broad undulating currents over many a flower-enameled ridge of the coast mountains, then across the golden plains, up the purple foot-hills, and into these piny woods with the varied incense gathered by the way. " \</b>

From <http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/the_mountains_of_california/chapter_10.html>

Anyway, that's the example that came to mind. That storm account is just a few enjoyable pages long -- a blend of scientific observation, literary description and adventure writing. How exciting it is to see all that merged together.

What is your favorite example you have discovered of that earlier "strong art/science connection"? [Read entire topic]

#42: Eva Koleva Timothy (sees-the-day) Sat 9 Oct 10 17:32

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 17:32:00 PDT

There are a series of thought panels which accompany the exhibit, but the monograph also travels with the works and SAIL is mostly covered there.

The SAIL metaphor came while thinking about the way deep learning can often come of serendipity, taking off for a destination and finding ourselves somewhere other than where we expected (i.e. Columbus finding something quite different than India and never knowing).

The S.A.I.L. acronym came later while pondering the creative process. When I begin a photographic project I always follow these basic steps, starting with a Story in mind I want to relate, searching for a meaningful Angle, Immersing myself in the subject and seeking out the Light which illuminates, clarifies, opens and solidifies my creative notions.

It seems like a similar sort of process applies to journalism, music composition, writing and art generally the same as it applies to scientific inquiry, invention and entrepreneurial innovations.

This strong art/science connection and the lack of a strongly defined gap between the two worlds of thought, was another interesting find in this era where natural philosophy or science was still in its infancy. [Read entire topic]

#41: Teleological dyslexic (ceder) Sat 9 Oct 10 13:26

Sat, 09 Oct 2010 13:26:00 PDT

<keta> it is the follow-up and the learn-a-holics like me, I think. While I am now working on a DBA from Walden U, this project will culminate with a discertation (AKA book). There are those new book writers who have inspired us (me) well-perns to think: maybe I can write a book. ;-) [Read entire topic]

#40: Lisa Harris (lrph) Fri 8 Oct 10 12:59

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:59:00 PDT

Can you tell us more about SAIL? How did you come up with this? Is it part of your traveling exhibition as well, or do you only discuss it in your book? [Read entire topic]

#39: Rip Van Winkle (keta) Wed 6 Oct 10 20:10

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:10:00 PDT

I like your putting working with beliefs and assumptions into the category of emotional labor. And I do think there need to be more bridges.

It seems to me that, while it's wonderful that those learning-for-the-love-of-it people and spaces exist, there is still the teensy assumption that what they do for love in those worlds doesn't matter in the societal expectations world, and that's a shame. [Read entire topic]