Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation, title, and author at the beginning of your essay.
This essay is a bit of an extended version of my MIT essay (for whoever read it) I am still wondering if this works and whether it answers the question. All opinions are welcome!
Thanks!
"Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic."
- Frank Herbert, "Dune"
Although this statement may sound fatalistic, I always interpreted it as an encouragement to think outside the box. In 1900 Lord Kelvin said that there is nothing new to be discovered in physics and all that remains is more precise measurement. However, in the 1920's quantum mechanics became the standard formulation for atomic physics, opening a door to unexplored territory. What this showed me is that we often confine our judgment to what is already well known and understood, often forgetting that there may be so much more yet undiscovered out there.
Two summers ago I was sitting in my room with nothing to do, other than read a few books in my proximity or surf the internet for interesting ideas. So I decided to move a piece of paper with my mind.
At this point you may be thinking "Oh, here we go...". I had recently read books and articles on the wonders of the human mind beyond the current grasp of science and was truly fascinated. However, I approached my endeavor with guarded skepticism. First I began searching for evidence of such practice and soon came across an online society of like-minded people who shared their opinions on extrasensory abilities.
I carefully selected practical information and decided to setup a personal experiment. It consisted of some controlled variables and improvised apparatus: a fixated needle with a small piece of paper balanced on top, free to rotate at the slightest disturbance in the air. After two weeks of systematic attempts I actually had significant results, with the funny piece of paper rotating at my will. I was excited and bewildered at the same time. I, an average bloke, managed to do something that I always considered to be a cheap trick up a magician's sleeve, and yet there was no explanation. The truth of the matter was "one step beyond logic" as we know it. This experience, however, changed the way I approach the world and taught me to look at problems from more than one perspective.
I still remember how I contemplated measuring the kinetic energy of the system and the force that was applied on it. However, summer soon came to its end and I abandoned my experiment for better or worse. Nevertheless, I am still proud of the open-mindedness I practice when approaching or confronting various concepts, knowing that such an attitude is what allows us to progress, especially in science and engineering, disciplines in which serendipity has afforded significant leaps.
This essay is a bit of an extended version of my MIT essay (for whoever read it) I am still wondering if this works and whether it answers the question. All opinions are welcome!
Thanks!
"Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic."
- Frank Herbert, "Dune"
Although this statement may sound fatalistic, I always interpreted it as an encouragement to think outside the box. In 1900 Lord Kelvin said that there is nothing new to be discovered in physics and all that remains is more precise measurement. However, in the 1920's quantum mechanics became the standard formulation for atomic physics, opening a door to unexplored territory. What this showed me is that we often confine our judgment to what is already well known and understood, often forgetting that there may be so much more yet undiscovered out there.
Two summers ago I was sitting in my room with nothing to do, other than read a few books in my proximity or surf the internet for interesting ideas. So I decided to move a piece of paper with my mind.
At this point you may be thinking "Oh, here we go...". I had recently read books and articles on the wonders of the human mind beyond the current grasp of science and was truly fascinated. However, I approached my endeavor with guarded skepticism. First I began searching for evidence of such practice and soon came across an online society of like-minded people who shared their opinions on extrasensory abilities.
I carefully selected practical information and decided to setup a personal experiment. It consisted of some controlled variables and improvised apparatus: a fixated needle with a small piece of paper balanced on top, free to rotate at the slightest disturbance in the air. After two weeks of systematic attempts I actually had significant results, with the funny piece of paper rotating at my will. I was excited and bewildered at the same time. I, an average bloke, managed to do something that I always considered to be a cheap trick up a magician's sleeve, and yet there was no explanation. The truth of the matter was "one step beyond logic" as we know it. This experience, however, changed the way I approach the world and taught me to look at problems from more than one perspective.
I still remember how I contemplated measuring the kinetic energy of the system and the force that was applied on it. However, summer soon came to its end and I abandoned my experiment for better or worse. Nevertheless, I am still proud of the open-mindedness I practice when approaching or confronting various concepts, knowing that such an attitude is what allows us to progress, especially in science and engineering, disciplines in which serendipity has afforded significant leaps.
