Ask And Ye Shall Receive

What we think of as the moment of discovery is really the discovery of the right question.

Jonas Salk
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Hello Bryant, Arkansas
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One of the greatest discoveries of human history was the scientific method. It is the system we use for trying to understand, cope with and utilize the laws of nature. But it is also a question. Every hypothesis in the course of practicing the scientific method is a question and when the right question is asked the answer reveals itself. There has never been a more useful human tool for peering into the mysteries of the world around us and finding answers to the fundamental questions. It is a rich companion for the human intellect.

Learning to ask the right questions is not only good for science but also for technology, mechanics, politics, art and philosophy. The amazing thing is that the laws we supposedly "discovered" were all there all the time. The laws of gravity, thermodynamics and aeronautics were right there waiting to be discovered, waiting for someone to ask the right questions.

I once had a housemate who was a very particularly religious fellow. He worked as a carpenter and one day he came home and said "Today the Lord showed me how to hang a ceiling." Whether you would agree with that analysis or not, if the ceiling stayed up the right questions were obviously asked.

Artists can use this method all the time. If you talk to your painting, and wait, the painting will talk back to you. It's the same with music. Constantine Stanislavski, the great Russian actor, director and teacher, has given actors a grand and almost mystical hypothesis to work with, called "The Magic IF, If I were in this situation what would I do? If I was this man, in this situation, and I wanted to find out this piece of information from this other man without letting him know I was doing it, what would I do. That puts the actor right in the middle of the action without any artificiality. He is then involved in a real event and the answer to his question will reveal itself. naturally.

There is no secret for finding the right question. Good luck may have something to do with it. But patience, desire, persistence and not giving up are guarantees.

DB - The Vagabond
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Mind Twister Of The Week

This puzzle is going to stay up for a week or until someone comes across with the answer. Dust off your brain.
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1. Here are three numbered statements.
2. Two of them are true.
3. One of them is false.
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How many of the statements are true? Why?
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dbdacoba@aol.com

Good luck, DB
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SPRING QUESTION
(This is not a contest)

NASA has planned to send a two man mission on an 18 month trip to the planet Mars. It would take 6 months for the astronauts to get there and after 6 months of exploration another 6 months to return.

Should they do it and why, and if not, why not?

dbdacoba@aol.com

4 answers so far

I eagerly await your answer.

DB
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