Monday, November 15, 2010

Being Wrong

As often happens, I went into the bookstore to ask for a copy of a book I was looking for and they didn't have it (sucks to be a brick and mortar book store). The advantage of this though is that while you will eventually get to the book you were looking for, sometimes another one grabs you... one you weren't looking for.

To set the record straight... the reason my nickname is Swart Donkey, is partly because I am very noisy, and partly because I am very stubborn. Neither those who grew up with me, nor those who know me today will dispute that. Hopefully though, those who know me today know that I both acknowledge and work on my stubbornness.

I have changed my mind about some far too significant things to think I am always right. One of my favourite quotes is

These are men with bold ideas, but highly critical of their own ideas; they try to find whether their ideas are right by trying to find whether they are not perhaps wrong. They work with bold conjectures and severe attempts at refuting their own conjectures.
(Karl Popper)
This is however far easier said than done. Being a rather enthusiastic chap, I sometimes get really passionate about an idea, and can make no claim to being its biggest critic.

So then... perhaps it is no co-incidence that while walking into a bookstore to look for an altogether different book, I should stumble upon one with a simple bright red cover, and bold white writing for the title:

by Kathryn Schulz

I will let you know where it takes me.

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