Psychologically Speaking

with Stewart Hase

A questionable approach?

The National Museum in Canberra is a wonderful experience and well worth the effort if you're ever down that way. One of the exhibits describes how early scientists in Australia would not accept that the young of the platypus came from eggs, given they are a mammal. This was despite local indigenous knowledge going back thousands of years clearly pointing to the contrary. Nonetheless, it took over 100 years for scientists to acknowledge what was obvious to the average person. This is another example of how we get caught in the trap of believing something so blindly that we don't want to believe evidence that points the other way or that at least adds a shade of grey.

The late Fred Emery once said that, "School pokes your eyes out. University teaches you braille and postgraduate education teaches speed reading in braille." Fred had a very jaundiced view about education as you might guess. What he was saying was that before we go to school we are very good at learning. We experiment all the time as little children and learn from our experience very effectively. Then we enter an education system that in effect tells us not to take any notice of our experience but to listen to the teacher, the guru who has the answers. It is such a pervasive way of thinking that it is possible to see great ideas in universities crushed under the weight of the dominant view of the time. Just like the way in which scientists could not believe that mammals could lay eggs. Educational institutions are often not the best places for the creative.

The talented philosopher and scientist Paul Davies once remarked that it is not the answers that are the problem but finding the right questions to ask. He was referring to our understanding of the universe. It's true that we don't have much problem coming up with answers. In fact science in all its forms is very good at that. Except for how to find a plumber on a Saturday afternoon or a builder to give you a quote!

But knowing what questions to ask is everything. Asking questions of our own preciously held beliefs is a good place to start. Then we can ask the same of our gurus and the scientists. It would be a good practice for some of our politicians, too many of whom still seem to belong to the flat earth society. Despite the age of positive affirmation I suspect there is a good deal of room for some self-doubt and to doubt things that others tell us.

So, just how do I grow seedless grapes?