|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 6:51:37 GMT 10
1 of 2:It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved
In my studies of astronomy and philosophy I hold this opinion about the universe, that the Sun remains fixed in the centre of the circle of heavenly bodies, without changing its place; and the Earth, turning upon itself, moves round the Sun
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself
It vexes me when they would constrain science by the authority of the Scriptures, and yet do not consider themselves bound to answer reason and experiment
Where the senses fail us, reason must step in
Count what is countable, measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so
Two truths cannot contradict one anotherGalileo Galilei, Italian physicist and astronomer (Died this day 1642) The intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 6:52:59 GMT 10
2 of 2: All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual
Facts which at first seem improbable will, even on scant explanation, drop the cloak which has hidden them and stand forth in naked and simple beauty
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use
I think that in the discussion of natural problems we ought to begin not with the Scriptures, but with experiments, and demonstrations
By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox
I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from himGalileo Galilei(Died this day 1642) É, si muove! (= “Still, it moves!”)
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 6:57:38 GMT 10
In my solitude I have pondered much on the incomprehensible subjects of space, eternity, life and death
I think I have fairly heard and fairly weighed the evidence on both sides, and I remain an utter disbeliever in almost all that you consider the most sacred truths ... I can see much to admire in all religions... But whether there be a God and whatever be His nature; whether we have an immortal soul or not, or whatever may be our state after death, I can have no fear of having to suffer for the study of nature and the search for truth
On the spiritual theory, man consists essentially of a spiritual nature or mind intimately associated with a spiritual body or soul, both of which are developed in and by means of a material organism
There is, I conceive, no contradiction in believing that mind is at once the cause of matter and of the development of individualised human minds through the agency of matter
To say that mind is a product or function of protoplasm, or of its molecular changes, is to use words to which we can attach no clear conception
The foregoing considerations lead us to the very important conclusion, that matter is essentially force, and nothing but force; that matter, as popularly understood, does not exist, and is, in fact, philosophically inconceivable
At the back of every great social evil will be found a great political wrongAlfred Russel WallaceBritish zoologist (Wallace’s Line), co-discoverer (natural selection) (Born this day 1823) Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 6:58:21 GMT 10
It is natural to try to understand one's own time and to seek to analyse the forces that move it
As to judging our own time, and thereby gaining some basis for a judgment of future possibilities, we are doubtless not only too close to it to appraise it but too much formed by it and enclosed within it to do so
Probably people always feel that they are living in a time of transition, but we can hardly be mistaken perhaps in thinking that this is an era of particularly momentous change, rapid and proceeding at an ever quickening rate
The First World War, and especially the latest one, largely swept away what was left in Europe of feudalism and of feudal landlords, especially in Poland, Hungary, and the South East generally
These wars appear also to have given its death blow to colonialism and to imperialism in its colonial form, under which weaker peoples were treated as possessions to be economically exploited. At least we hope that such colonialism is on the way out
We have lived through the flood time of fascism and of the Nazism which ran its meteoric course at a cost to mankind in suffering and waste beyond all computation
We speculate as to what is in store for us. But we not only undergo events, we in part cause them or at least influence their course. We have not only to study them but to actEmily Greene BalchUS sociologist, feminist, pacifist & Nobel laureate (Peace, 1946) (Born this day 1867) Men who are scandalized at the lack of freedom in Russia do not ask themselves how real is liberty among the poor, the weak, and the ignorant in capitalist society
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 6:59:16 GMT 10
At the pre-emptory request of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last nine years and ten months past of San Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself the Emperor of These United States
Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco," which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars
WHEREAS, we issued our decree ordering the citizens of San Francisco and Oakland to appropriate funds for the survey of a suspension bridge from Oakland Point via Goat Island; also for a tunnel; and to ascertain which is the best project; and whereas the said citizens have hitherto neglected to notice our said decree; and whereas we are determined our authority shall be fully respected; now, therefore, we do hereby command the arrest by the army of both the Boards of City Fathers if they persist in neglecting our decrees
Fraud and corruption prevent a fair and proper expression of the public voice; that open violation of the laws are constantly occurring, caused by mobs, parties, factions and undue influence of political sects; that the citizen has not that protection of person and property which he is entitled
Being desirous of allaying the dissensions of party strife now existing within our realm, I do hereby dissolve and abolish the Democratic and Republican parties, and also do hereby decree the disfranchisement and imprisonment, for not more than 10, nor less than five, years, to all persons leading to any violation of this our imperial decree
WHEREAS, a body of men calling themselves the National Congress are now in session in Washington City, in violation of our Imperial edict of the 12th of October last, declaring the said Congress abolished
NOW, THEREFORE, we do hereby Order and Direct Major-General Scott, the Command-in-Chief of our Armies, immediately upon receipt of this, our Decree, to proceed with a suitable force and clear the Halls of CongressHis Imperial Majesty Bro. Joshua Norton I“Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico” (Died this day 1880) “One night a gang of vigilantes gathered for a pogrom against San Francisco's China- town. All that stood in their way was the solitary figure of Norton. A sane man would not have been there in the first place. A rational man would have tried to reason with them. A moralist would have scolded them. A man as daft as Norton usually seemed would have loudly ordered them to cease and desist in the name of His Royal Imperial authority. All such tacks would probably have been futile, and Norton resorted to none of them. He simply bowed His head in silent prayer. The vigilantes dispersed.”
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 7:00:35 GMT 10
Pacifism is not a tool or instrument that you can pick up and lay down, use it today but not use it tomorrow, use it in one relationship of life but not in other relation- ships of life. It is, itself, a way of life that grows out of convictions, attitudes, and habits, which in time become an inseparable part of the pacifist individual
In a world built on violence, one must be a revolutionary before one can be a pacifist
We cannot have peace if we are only concerned with peace. War is not an accident. It is the logical outcome of a certain way of life. If we want to attack war, we have to attack that way of life
The problem after a war is the victor. He thinks he has just proved that war and violence pay. Who will now teach him a lesson?
The psychological basis for the use of nonviolent methods is the simple rule that like pro- duces like, kindness provokes kindness, as surely as injustice produces resentment and evil
There is a certain indolence in us, a wish not to be disturbed, which tempts us to think that when things are quiet, all is well. Subconsciously, we tend to give the preference to "social peace," though it be only apparent, because our lives and possessions seem then secure
Actually, human beings acquiesce too easily in evil conditions; they rebel far too little and too seldom. There is nothing noble about acquiescence in a cramped life or mere submission to superior forceA. J. MusteDutch-born American clergyman, pacifist, and social activist (Born this day 1885) The survival of democracy depends on renunciation of violence and the development of nonviolent means to combat evil and advance the good
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 7:01:20 GMT 10
Language is memory and metaphor
The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly what it is: a miracle and unrepeatable
Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed
Think of all the really successful men and women you know. Do you know a single one who didn't learn very young the trick of calling attention to himself in the right quarters?
Mere human beings can't afford to be fanatical about anything. Not even about justice or loyalty. The fanatic for justice ends by murdering a million helpless people to clear a space for his law-courts. If we are to survive on this planet, there must be compromises
Could anything be absurder than a man? The animal who knows everything about himself — except why he was born and the meaning of his unique existence
Hope is a talent like any otherStorm Jameson, British writer (Born this day 1891) For what I have received may the Lord make me truly thankful. And more truly for what I have not received
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 7:02:25 GMT 10
1 of 2:I believe that the testing of the student's achievements in order to see if he meets some criterion held by the teacher, is directly contrary to the implications of therapy for significant learning
The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standard by which to judge it
In a person who is open to experience each stimulus is freely relayed through the nervous system, without being distorted by any process of defensiveness
If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may wish to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning
It was many years before I realized why my writings and my way of counseling and teaching were so controversial. Only in recent years have I recognized how threatening were my views. If accepted, they effectively reduced the political power of therapists or teachers; they no longer had "power over" other individuals
When man is less than fully man — when he denies to awareness various aspects of his experience — then indeed we have all too often reason to fear him and his behavior, as the present world situation testifies
The substratum of all human motivation is the organismic tendency toward fulfillmentCarl RogersUS psychologist (Client-Centered Therapy) (Born this day 1902) Only if we individually were to walk through the awful human aftermath of our bombing raids would the experiential horror be joined to the intellectual label, and we would learn, in a total way, the incredible things we have done
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 7:03:13 GMT 10
2 of 2:The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change
Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience. No other person's ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my experience
The facts are always friendly, every bit of evidence one can acquire, in any area, leads one that much closer to what is true
In my early professionals years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?
It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change
The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destinationCarl Rogers(Born this day 1902) When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic
|
|
|
Post by Tamrin on Jan 8, 2014 7:04:13 GMT 10
My intent is to tell the truth as I know it, realizing that what is true for me may be blasphemy for others
When you are faced with prejudice, logic and justice are impotent. Still, we may have an obli- gation to argue directly into the face of the prejudice, even though there is no chance to win
While birds can fly, only humans can argue. Argument is the affirmation of our being. It is the principal instrument of human intercourse. Without argument the species would perish. As a subtle suggestion, it is the means by which we aid another. As a warning, it steers us from danger. As exposition, it teaches. As an expression of creativity, it is the gift of our- selves. As a protest, it struggles for justice. As a reasoned dialogue, it resolves disputes. As an assertion of self, it engenders respect. As an entreaty of love, it expresses our devotion. As a plea, it generates mercy. As charismatic oration it moves multitudes and changes history. We must argue — to help, to warn, to lead, to love, to create, to learn, to enjoy justice — to be
The power argument is an argument so powerful in its structure, so compelling in its delivery that when we assume the power stance the argument cannot be defeated. The power argu- ment need not fill the air with noise. It need not create pandemonium. It need not destroy the opponent. It can be quiet. Gentle. It can embrace love, not anger, understanding, not hate
A new fascism promises security from the terror of crime. All that is required is that we take away the criminals’ rights – which, of course, are our own. Out of our des- peration and fear we begin to feel a sense of security from the new totalitarian state
The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power
Teach the child to respect that which is not respectable and you teach the child the first requirement of slavery: submission to unjust authorityGerry SpenceAmerican lawyer and writer ( How to Argue and Win Every Time) (Born this day 1929) I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief
|
|