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Quest
A free spirit
Scientific spirit is not a profession or a degree. It is an attitude of the mind or an approach to life, problems, events and persons, which everybody can and must develop and cultivate. What are the characteristics of a person who has a scientific spirit?
He will not be a slave to dogmatism, fundamentalism and communalism . His mind will be totally free to perceive whatever is true and beautiful. He will question everything. He will not accept anything blindly.
He will not jump to conclusions or make rash judgments about persons or events on the basis of hearsay or on the basis of what he has seen just once or twice or read in books or newspapers. For example: just because a student told a lie once, we can't a generalise that he is a liar. A scientifically— minded person will test or verify the facts before coming to a conclusion. He will be able to sift truth from fiction and facts from interpretation.
If a person has a scientific attitude, he will not be a slave to pre-conceived notions or prejudices and biases. For example: when we are promoted to a higher class and a new teacher comes to teach us, very often we look at the teacher with a biased mind — biased for or against the teacher — on the basis of all sorts of inputs from the seniors and other students. This is against the scientific spirit. Or if your mother has prepared a new dish, even before tasting it you conclude that it is not good. This is called prejudice.
He will be free from all superstitions. His actions and decisions are guided by the strength of evidence, not by the burden of untested beliefs or superstitions.
Such a person will genuinely be humble. He will never assert that he is always right and only he is right. He will be open to opinions and views. Finally, curiosity and a spirit of inquiry are the hallmarks of a scientifically minded person.
Pawana Kunnapallil, XI C
New Delhi: St. Xavier's School
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