Address given at the Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony at Butler University (April 2022):
Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, Nobel prize winner, and a brilliant thinker, once exclaimed, in an argument with a colleague: “No, no, you’re not thinking; you’re just being logical!”
This is a profound statement. It highlights the difference between disciplined mechanical reasoning and having a leap of insight. As a practicing scientist, I have found both to be extremely important. The ability to carry out logical reasoning and exercise mental discipline in analyzing observations and facts is critically important. It is our bread and butter. That is what good scientists do 99% of the time. This creates a foundation on which science is built. Collect the data, connect the dots… Connect them in a proper sequence—if-A-then-B, if-B-then-C. Stroke by stroke. But what makes an outstanding scientist is rare, but important, moments of insight. The leap when the big beautiful picture of a new truth emerges and the connected dots become a masterpiece of art. That is what Bohr meant by “THINKING.”
The art of thinking is important not only for scientists, but for other intellectual endeavors. No matter what your ambitions are — to be a politician, a writer, a teacher, a doctor, an entrepreneur, an engineer — the ability to think is what will take you places and what will allow you to leave a real mark on the world in whatever domain you choose.
So how do we become THINKERS? What are the ingredients?
There are three key components:
• Domain knowledge and expertise. You need to learn your chemistry—facts, numbers, equations. Or your history—dates, names, events. Your literature sources… This is the foundation.
• You need to master logic and the intellectual discipline of handling this domain knowledge, navigating through the information and facts, and integrating new knowledge. You need to learn to correctly connect these dots.
• And you need to acquire breadth of vision and develop the ability to see connections between different domains of knowledge. Chemistry and literature. Medicine and physics. Politics and mathematics.
How do you acquire these three ingredients? This is exactly what liberal arts education is aspiring to deliver. You get your domain knowledge in specialized classes. You learn the skills of managing this knowledge by putting this knowledge into practice through your projects, undergraduate research, and in-depth discussions with your peers and your teachers… And you get the breadth by stepping into different domains, by engaging in classes that are far afield from your chosen specialty. Add some French to your chemistry. Sprinkle some math on top of international policies. Combine literature and law. Colleges like Butler provide the perfect environment for these intellectual adventures. Societies like Phi Beta Kappa further nurture and cultivate such opportunities.
Go ahead—unleash your curiosity and lose yourself in studying things. It is great fun!
This education is the greatest treasure you can acquire. A treasure that cannot be taken from you. People like me, who lived through turbulent times, know this well. You may lose your material wealth overnight. Bad agents can come and take away your money, you home, your job. They can take away your freedom. But no one can take from you what you know, not before they take your life. Here in this country we live in times of wealth and stability and do not anticipate such bad things will happen, but it is an important point to remember.
Yet, the world around us not simple. Peace and stability is not to be taken for granted. Democracy operates by people and therefore it is critically important for you as citizens to know how to think. Otherwise, you will be sitting ducks for misinformation and manipulation.
Let me tell you a short story to illustrate this point. Imagine a group of activists knocking at your door and asking you to sign a petition. What about? The petition is calling to ban this dangerous chemical with a long scary name — let’s call it DHMO for short.
Why is it dangerous, you ask? They explain:
• it can cause suffocation if inhaled;
• it can cause severe burns;
• it contributes to erosion of natural landscape;
• it contributes to the Greenhouse Effect and is a major component of acid rain;
• it is found in tumors of terminal cancer patients;
• it causes accelerated corrosion and may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
Where is it used, you ask? They explain:
• in industries as a solvent and coolant;
• in nuclear power plants;
• in the production of styrofoam;
• as a fire retardant;
• in many forms of cruel animal research;
• in abortion clinics;
• in the distribution of pesticides—even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical;
• as an additive in certain “junk foods;”
• as a performance enhancing substance used by elite athletes.
Will you support the ban?
A number of students groups polled people with this question and the results were sobering—close to 100% respondents supported the proposed ban. Every few years, I hear about a politician here or there championing an anti-DHMO bill in a state legislature.
What is DHMO? DHMO stands for dihydrogen monoxide, H2O. Which is commonly known as water. You can read about this story on Wikipedia.
What we see in this example is a failure to correctly connect the dots. A failure to think in terms of cause and effect. A failure to see a bigger picture beyond the collection of facts.
Such mistakes of misinterpreting information happen every day. I could give you many examples, ranging from public misunderstanding of medical research to erroneous attributions of causes of social phenomena.
Let me conclude.
Knowledge and the ability to think, in the sense that Bohr meant, are the biggest treasure a human being can possess. They are the most powerful tool you can carry through your life — as a professional, a citizen, and a human being.
You have done very well so far in mastering this tool — as evidenced by your induction into the Phi Beta Kappa Society—congratulations! Cherish and cultivate this tool.
Continue to strive for excellence.
Continue to learn.
Continue to think.
On the value of liberal arts education
In theory, a liberal arts education is a good thing.
In American colleges and universities today, a liberal arts education actually means a narrow ideological indoctrination with an emphais on orhtodoxy and conformity. Whatever the theoretical benefits of such an education, the wise student should avoid it as much as possible. Want to learn history or literature? You should. You can do that on your own, probably far better that way than in most American colleges and universities