Connecting Analytical Thinking and Intuition: And the Nights Abound with Inspiration PDF
Preview Connecting Analytical Thinking and Intuition: And the Nights Abound with Inspiration
SPRINGER BRIEFS IN EARTH SCIENCES Anders Omstedt Connecting Analytical Thinking and Intuition And the Nights Abound with Inspiration 123 SpringerBriefs in Earth Sciences More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/8897 Anders Omstedt Connecting Analytical Thinking and Intuition And the Nights Abound with Inspiration Photographs by Hillevi Nagel 123 Anders Omstedt Department ofMarine Science: Oceanography University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden ISSN 2191-5369 ISSN 2191-5377 (electronic) SpringerBriefs inEarth Sciences ISBN978-3-319-27533-8 ISBN978-3-319-27534-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-27534-5 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015959942 ©TheAuthor(s)2016 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinor foranyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade. Printedonacid-freepaper ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAGSwitzerland The Heart is the Capital of the Mind The Mind is a single State The Heart and the Mind together make A single Continent One—is the Population Numerous enough This ecstatic Nation Seek—it is Yourself. —Emily Dickinson Preface We are living in a world of increasing complexity in which accurately perceiving reality is increasingly important and difficult. Society’s need to address “global grand challenges” requires that the scientific community initiate inter-disciplinary research often very unlike current education programmes, which are usually based on intra-disciplinary science. Improving our understanding of complex problems and communicating this understanding to a large group of people of differing backgrounds and educational levels, such as scientists from various disciplines, politicians, experts, students, and laypeople, represents a great challenge. Analytical thinking is a powerful way of solving problems and has been used bothtodevelopanddestroysocietyandnature.However,weareonlypartlyaware of the sum of our knowledge, and we are not restricted to analytical thinking. Art and our dreams are full offeelings and inspirations that can open up new dimen- sions in our lives. The great need for perceptual accuracy relies on our ability to connectanalyticalthinkingwiththeintuitionoftenmanifestedindreams,literature, and art. This ability to interconnect these human capabilities, however, is not yet recognized in most educational programmes. The need to develop pedagogical methods for improving analytical, empathetic, and self-reflective thinking is stronger now than ever. In this book, I investigate my own search for a new way to understand myself and my research area based on personal experience and on my work as a marine scientist in the field of oceanography and climate research. In recent decades, the marine environment has experienced serious damage and the scientific community has tried to act as a whistle-blower, though with few noticeable results. Society is entering a new era of conflict marked by increasing pressure on our natural resources and needs for new technology. It is imperative that we change our mentality, to become more environmentally aware, friendly, and caring. The existing trend towards ever greater knowledge fragmentation and increased com- petitionrequiresthatwestepbackandinvestigateourbehaviouranddrivingforces in a more mindful way. At universities, the freedom to generate new knowledge vii viii Preface needs stronger support,as does theunderstanding that theteacher’s main missions are to generate new knowledge, educate, and to support the joy of learning. This book illustrates how analytical thinking and intuition can be trained, and I propose a method for connecting both aspects in a systematic way. The dream group process developed by Montague Ullman, which includes training in ana- lytical, empathetic, and self-reflection skills, is an excellent tool that should be included in university curricula, particularly for science students. In science, we learntoobservenatureinanobjectiveway,organizingmeasurementplatformsand building mathematical models. Now is the time to employ methods that help us explore our driving forces, to improve our communication skills, and better understand how humans are influencing society and nature. Acknowledgements Over the years, many colleagues and students have inspired me to deepen my knowledge of the sea, and many talented dream group leaders and members have passedontheirknowledgeofdreamworkandliterature.Iwouldparticularlyliketo thankStinaHammarforintroducingmetoanewwayofworkingwithdreamsand literature,toMarianneBlomandthe“PedagogiskForum”forholdingexcellentand productive meetings, to Stig Östman for suggesting that I write a book on science and the humanities, to Elisabeth Bratt-Neuberg for her unflagging support and for suggestingthatthebookshouldbewritteninEnglish,toStinaNielsenandKristina Elménformanyproductivediscussions,totheInternationalBalticEarth-BALTEX secretariat, particularly Silke Köppen, for their strong support, to the Baltic Earth-BALTEX scientific community, and to Stephen Sanborn at Proper English for editing the text. Ofparticularimportancetomylifeismyfamily,forgivingmesomuchloveand joy—thanks Britt, Herman, Mikael, and Ragnhild for all you have given me. ix Contents 1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 Catch the Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3 Finding Words for Feelings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4 Meaning of Symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5 Triggers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 6 To Be Touched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 7 Exploring the Unconscious and the Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 8 Inspiration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 9 Searching for the Emotional Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 10 Playback and Meaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 11 Strengthen Humanity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 12 Science and Dreams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 xi
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