When a person embarks upon the journey of learning, they realize how uninformed they were before or how little they knew about the world around them. This realization piques their curiosity and motivates them to seek out more knowledge and find the answers to the questions their minds were eager to uncover. Learning and education becomes an addiction for people who accept that ‘they do not know everything.’
Contrary to this, when someone thinks they know a lot, they shut the door to exploring new ideas and concepts. This type of mindset also gives birth to arrogance, which consequently prevents us from expanding our knowledge and excelling in our life. Hence, no matter at what stage of life you are or how academically qualified you are, never miss a chance to learn something new.
Always be willing to listen, consider, and evaluate different perspectives without dismissing them. Try and understand the diverse outlooks, study and analyze them, and then decide whether to believe them; this is the essence of the famous quote:
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it
Where Does The Quote Come From?
The quote is misattributed to Aristotle and first appeared in the book, “Religion and the Pursuit of Truth,” by Lowell Bennion, published in 1959. However, it is not found in any works of Aristotle. The closest match to the aforementioned quote is found in Aristotle’s book, “Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1,” translated by W.D.Ross.
In the same spirit, therefore, should each type of statement be received; for it is the mark of an educated man to look for precision in each class of things just so far as the nature of the subject admits; it is evidently equally foolish to accept probable reasoning from a mathematician and to demand from a rhetorician scientific proofs Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1, Section 3, Page 4
Who Was Aristotle?
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, scientist, and great writer known across the globe. His writings and teachings cover a wide array of subjects, including biology, chemistry, botany, ethics, logic, history, metaphysics, etc.
Aristotle was born in Stagira in Northern Greece. His father died when he was young, and after his demise, he was brought up by a guardian. When Aristotle turned 18, he joined Plato’s Academy in Athens. He remained in Athens till he turned 37 years old. After Plato’s death. Aristotle left Athens and tutored Alexander the Great, the son of Philip II of Macedon. Aristotle established a library that helped him write over 100s of different books on different subjects.
However, despite his extensive and diverse collection of work, only one-fifth of his total work is available. His major works include the Organon, Physics, Politics, Poetics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, etc. His famous book Nicomachean Ethics emphasizes that a person’s primary goal in life is to live well. He has given a detailed description of virtues that a man should adopt to live a happy, organized, and fulfilled life.
Due to Aristotle’s fantastic knowledge and works, he is called the father of logic, biology, political science, zoology, embryology, etc.
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.Aristotle
What is The Meaning of the Quote?
The aforesaid quote indicates the most significant sign of an educated person, which is thinking and evaluating new ideas before accepting or rejecting them altogether. It is detrimental for us to either believe everything we see or turn a deaf ear towards it. The best way to approach this dilemma is to use your prior knowledge, do your diligent research, and then decide whether to adopt it or not. For instance, during the global epidemic of COVID-19, there was a massive rise of different myths, concepts, and cures on social media. Most people immediately forwarded the latest data to their family and friends to update them without considering for a minute whether such information was accurate.
Always be vigilant about the material you read on the internet or hear from someone. Never pass it on in your social circle without ensuring its correctness. Wrong facts and information can be harmful to you and others around you. Hence, always double-check the info, and once you are 100% sure of it, only then agree with it and implement it in your life.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.George Bernard Shaw
Why Believing Everything Blindly is Lethal For Us?
As human beings, our ability to think, evaluate, and question the world around us is our superpower. When we ponder upon a new piece of information or a concept, our mind creates numerous questions and hence we become more curious. This, in return, enables us to assess people, things, and situations before judging or forming a solid opinion about them.
A clever person never succumbs to everything that they come across. They always gauge the information from different perspectives and then consider accepting or rejecting it. However, if we blindly believe everything that is told to us and start following it, eventually, our reasoning skills will become obsolete. Moreover, we risk hurting ourselves physically or mentally by accepting or applying the wrong ideas and methods.
True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.George Winston Churchill
For instance, a person reads too-good-to-be-true remedies about quick weight loss on the internet. Instead of researching more about that cure or finding credible sources to verify its correctness, they follow that remedy to get rid of the weight. Consequently, they either face disappointment for not seeing promised results or jeopardize their health.
Therefore, always analyze different thoughts and ideas before trusting them and passing them on to others. Don’t be quick to judge, or form a solid opinion about it, unless you’ve done your part evaluating it.
Why Being Open To New Ideas is Beneficial for Us?
Learning and acquiring new knowledge is as essential for humans as water is for plants. If a plant is not watered enough, its roots will dry out and it won’t grow. Such is the case with our intellectual growth. Being unwilling or rigid towards embracing new ideas will keep us behind, and we won’t progress in our lives.
The great inventions and advancements in today’s era are all the fruits of welcoming and evaluating new ideas. If the great scholars of the past had refused to entertain different concepts, our world would have remained in the stone age. Whenever someone shares their knowledge with you, be humble and listen to them. It may benefit you to learn something new, which may improve your life in the future. Contrary to this, being arrogant or rejecting to consider different perspectives will stop you from flourishing and prospering further in life.
An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person’s main task in life – becoming a better person. Leo Tolstoy
Always be open and respectful to diverse ideas. You don’t necessarily have to believe or implement them in your lives. But never turn a deaf ear to learning something you don’t know. Welcome new information, think about it, do your research, and then decide whether you would like to accept and apply it in your life.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning Albert Einstein