Deep thoughts with redsox...

[redsox985]

Great minds think alike.

I've been pondering this for a few days now and this quote was just the ammunition I've been looking for. What would happen if great minds actually DID think alike? Where would we be? What would life be like? What wouldn't exist? The planets? Galileo was ridiculed. There are TONS of instances like this. What's your 2¢?

 

[Krustalien]

It depends entirely on where you draw the line between a great and a not so great mind.

I actually think that is the beauty of the human mind, we're able to think outside the box, think and see things from different angles. If we all thought in the same way, we wouldn't evolve our technologies at anything like the rate, right?

Well, actually, now I come to think about it, if we all thought the same thing, we'd invent everything ever conceived within a small amount of time, therefore potentially increasing our technological understanding in a smaller amount of time.

Or something like that I don't know.

 

[devino246]

The question is, what is a great mind? Often, the more you think about a saying, the less it makes sense. Its all relative. What are you referring to as being great?(rhetorical question) Is it the fact that someone can imagine anything, as though they're actually seeing it? A person who can glance at something, then draw it perfectly, weeks later? If they can do trig in their head, in seconds, does that mean they have a great mind? In my opinion, we all have great minds, in very different ways. I can add long chains of numbers in my head, draw a picture as I see it, play a song on trumpet twice and remember how to play it forever, and take amazing pictures, yet I suck at creative writing. We all have our strengths & weaknesses. In some convoluted way, they balance out.

 

[devino246]

Anyone else??

 

[CriticalMass]

A jeopardy topic, it's all relative!

It matters of what you consider great, science, art, political, there are plenty of great minds in each.

If there was a million more einsteins we would be further along in our technology and understanding of the universe. If we had a million more Thomas editions we would have new inventions nobody has thought of yet.

Millions of Germans thought Adolf hitler was a great mind, look where that got them, imagine if there were a million more.

It's all relative! If there was a million more of me, the world would be a better place in my opinion.

 

[devino246]

If great minds truly did think alike: perhaps many of the inventions we know & love wouldnt exist. Many people are driven by the fact that people doubt them. Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents in his name. How many of those do you think were made because someone said it couldnt be done?

 

[redsox985]

Devino, I think that's more of what I meant to achieve. If all "great" minds (I'll get to this in a minute) did think alike, I feel we would be no where. My thought is that if someone/thing was never challenged on the validity of their claims at any given time, nothing would have happened. There wouldn't be other planets or galaxies, there wouldn't be any Darwin awards (ok evolution, but the awards are more fun), think of all the cases where someone was shunned, cast into exile, or ostracised for their ideas. How many of those ideas eventually became common knowledge fact?

This leads into my next point. When I originally said great minds, I didn't intend for this to be a morale booster to us all (again, different interpretations ), but more along the lines of the men who shaped life. Those guys behind the math, physics, science, etc. of it all. Gravity, friction, all that good stuff. What do you think life would be like if those who were disowned by society for their ideas were never allowed to record their work and findings? What if we still thought the world was flat? Our Aussie friends could some day step out of the back door and fall into infinity. Maybe, if someone/ people are feeling ambitious, they could do a creative writing (sorry Devino) thing about what they think the world would be like if it was true that "great minds think alike".

 

[jrmints1415]

what would happen if a unstoppable force hit an imovable object??

 

[CriticalMass]

Necessity is the mother of all invention, not doubt. You can doubt a person with cerebral palsy all you want, doesn't mean they are going to invent something.

He had a great mind in my opinion. And the old adage, if you don't think of it someone else will.

Just because everything happens one way, doesn't means it couldn't have happened another way. Any number of other people throughout a long enough timeline could have discovered the planets or invented the nuclear bomb.

 

[CriticalMass]

what would happen if a unstoppable force hit an imovable object??

You get a sequel!

 

[Rustydog2010]

what would happen if a unstoppable force hit an imovable object??

I dont know what others think, but when you say an Immovable object it implies an infinate mass. An unstoppable force implies an infinate force. Both of these require infinate energy, as infinate energy is unobtainable, I highly doubt this situation can arise.

If this was plainly hypothetical, I say implosion! Black hole erupts and all get sucked into the next dimension.

Jeremy.

 

[cpt.skier]

If great minds truly did think alike: perhaps many of the inventions we know & love wouldnt exist. Many people are driven by the fact that people doubt them. Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents in his name. How many of those do you think were made because someone said it couldnt be done?

Thomas Edison once said... 'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work'. I once told my teacher that after I got a poor grade on a science project. He did not find me to be amusing.

 

[CriticalMass]

I dont know what others think, but when you say an Immovable object it implies an infinate mass. An unstoppable force implies an infinate force. Both of these require infinate energy, as infinate energy is unobtainable, I highly doubt this situation can arise.

If this was plainly hypothetical, I say implosion! Black hole erupts and all get sucked into the next dimension.

Jeremy.

I am thinking it wouldn't implode, but 2 infinite energy sources coming together would most likely explode scattering the energy far and wide.

Now I'm not a religious person, but it would be funny if god thought that same thing and said ahh what the heck, let's see what happens! Bam, the big bang and existence.

I may have just solved the greatest mystery of the universe.....hmmm probably not.

 

[jrmints1415]

haha thats what i thought. I wonder if it was even like the size of a germ it would completely destroy the entire universe.

 

[CriticalMass]

Infinite is infinite, everything and everywhere all at once.

 

[Krustalien]

I'm not sure I like to talk about infinity. It's beyond the human mind, something never ending.

Maybe that means no one is great?

It's generally impossible to answer, as you could define a great mind in so many ways. There are infinite ways to define a great mind, if you like.

 

[devino246]

I'm not sure I like to talk about infinity. It's beyond the human mind, something never ending.

Something infinite cannot exist; just like a straight line, a point, or a corner cannot exist.

@CriticalMass, I wasnt saying that doubt always drives invention, but a challenge often does. Necessity doesnt drive all inventions.

 

[CriticalMass]

Necessesity is the driving force behind it all. You would be hard pressed to find an invention that wasn't created from somebody needs.

Fire, the wheel, houses, skyscrapers, boats etc

The only thing I can really think of that was invented for no purpose at all was television. I'm sure greed was a player, but money is a necessity

 

[Krustalien]

Fire wasn't invented, it's a naturally occurring thing. We just taught ourselves how to harness it and use it in our day-to-day lives.

 

[devino246]

I would call video games a necessity either. The PC wasnt at all a necessity, just a way to reduce productivity.