The Cotaco Gazette

An online journal of musings on diverse subjects

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Carl Johnson: When I was seven or eight years old, I asked my father how anyone could determine whether our perceptions correspond to those of others. He told me that we assume they correspond because they seem to correspond. Though insightful, that response provided little guidance in sorting out the odd assortment of notions culled from folk superstitions, children’s science books, etc. that together constituted my understanding of the world. I didn't concern myself further until, during a 5th-grade class on electromagnetism, the teacher asked me why magnets always point north. I replied that a legendary mountain of loadstone—a magnetic mountain to the north—accounted for this phenomenon. I have never forgotten the reaction of the class to this bit of information gleened from tales of Sinbad the Sailor. From that day foreward, I have more carefully examined sources and claims.

Simple template. Template images by luoman. Powered by Blogger.