Ainan on the ethics of knowledge.

On July 19^th 2013, Ainan posed one of his often mischievous questions.

“Daddy, why is it ethical to destroy the unknown?”, he posed, with a little smile peeking from the corners of his lips.

I knew, at once, what he was saying. To come to know something, is to destroy the mystery that existed before that knowledge was acquired. Ainan was playing with our ideas of ethics, and extending them in ways they were never intended to be.

Yet, there was also something else in what he was saying, I think. Man has a long history of not dealing very well with that which is Unknown in other societies. When “modern” man has come upon less developed societies, those “unknown” societies, usually end up being extinguished, not by knowledge but by the sword, or gun.

There is something of the philosopher, at times, in the questions asked by Ainan. He likes to play with meanings, expectations and paradox. In so doing, he points out interpretations which others have usually not noticed were implicit in the words themselves. Thus, it is, he examines words at a deeper level than their conventional meaning. This tack has promise, if applied in more serious circumstances, for noting matters which have been long overlooked, not just in philosophical thinking but in other areas too. Besides, it can often be simply funny – which is more than enough justification in my book.

I think Ainan is likely to destroy a lot which is unknown, in his life, by coming to know it. That, of course, is the aim of every scientific thinker. I look forward to that “destructive” enlightenment.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

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Tiarnan's philosophy of knowledge.

Yesterday, Fintan, 9,  taunted Tiarnan, 6, on his return from home.

“While you were out, we watched Shrek 4.”, he said, expecting an upset response, perhaps.

Tiarnan was unbothered.

“I don’t know what Shrek is.”, he said, calmly.

He paused a little as if considering the matter.

“If I don’t know about it, then it doesn’t exist!”, he concluded. For him that very much seemed to end the matter.

Fintan didn’t want to get into a, what seemed to him, pointless argument over the existence or non-existence of something he had seen...so he left it and did not respond.

I thought Tiarnan’s statement interesting. It could mean many things. He could be saying that if he hadn’t heard about it, Fintan must be making it up. Or it could mean that if he doesn’t know about it, then it won’t bother him not to see it – because he won’t know what he is missing. I am in favour of the latter interpretation. Either way, it is an interesting stance to take on missing out on something – and one which deflated Fintan’s attempt to make him bothered about it.

Not for the first time, I am struck by how much of interest can be found in the conversation of young children. One only has to listen carefully to hear many, often unique, conversational stances, ploys, understandings and come-backs. Each of our boys, has the tendency to utter odd lines, which stick in the mind. Though, as a personality, Tiarnan’s probably tends to the most bizarre of the three of them.

As I hear them speak in this way, I do wonder at what kind of adults will emerge from this period of intellectual and personal fermentation. Each of them promises to be at least a little different from the norm...and that can only be good.

Happy philosophizing Tiarnan!

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

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If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

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Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.) 

Ainan's reflections on Art

Some people might think that because Ainan is a prodigious young scientist, that his thoughts, interests and observations would only extend to science. This is not so. He often remarks upon matters way outside his supposed remit.

Yesterday, Ainan began to discuss his views on Art, over lunch.

“There is no such thing as bad Art...”, he began, quietly, to me, “for if it is bad, it is no longer Art.”

That, in itself, was an interesting viewpoint: one that enfolded a requirement for quality, into the very concept of Art. However, it was his second thought that attracted more attention at the lunch table:

“Art causes a chemical reaction in the brain, that makes you think it is beautiful. Therefore, Art is a drug.”

My wife, in particular, liked that viewpoint. He may have a point, of course: is Art’s effect on the brain drug-like for some people? Does it create a “rush” that needs repetition and reinforcement? Does it provoke some people to constantly seek out Art, to fulfil this need?

It is good to see Ainan thinking on matters outside his core interests. It suggests that, when he is completely developed, he will be much broader than might have been supposed in his contributions. I happen to like the variety of expression this implies, since it echoes the variety of expression in my own life.

There is also another aspect of his expression that I find interesting: it is succinct, pithy even. In a few words, he is capturing a broader idea than might, at first, be appreciated. It is “condensed” thinking. Perhaps there is not only a scientist in him, but a thoughtful writer, too.

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html

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If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

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Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

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The essence of Life.

About a week ago, Fintan came to his mother in a ruminative mood. His eyes were filled with ponderings.

“Which,” he began, seriously, “is more important: the brain, or the Heart?”

His mother, Syahidah, understood him to mean not the heart which pumps, but the Heart which feels.

“Well,” she began, considering his question carefully, “that depends.”

He understood what she meant, but wasn’t satisfied with such an open answer.

“Which,” he continued, seeking certainty, “makes the decisions, which tells you what to do?”

“The brain makes the decisions,” she said, softly, looking into his ever gentle eyes, “but the Heart will tell you if it is right or wrong.”

He gathered her words into himself and found them good. He smiled his understanding. It seemed that his Heart told him, they were right.

He wandered off, happily and his mother gazed after him, pondering his thoughtfulness, and the characteristic nature of his questions.

As Fintan grows, he deepens. He seems to consider matters which many children would just ignore. Often, his questions are about his place in the world, or the nature of the world and its people. He is, in short, considering life, its meaning, and its truth. Personally, I find this heartening, for it seems likely to me that he will try to live his life with wisdom, seeking a meaningful path through it, instead of skating on the superficial surface of society, weighed down by the unsatisfying values of the world around him. Fintan will, I rather think, come to decide what his own values are – and what, indeed, it means for something to be valuable. There is the likelihood, therefore, that he will live a life that is true to himself, and, indeed, culture a self, which is true to his own innate nature, rather than live a life driven by external values and, therefore, becoming a person deformed by those inappropriate “values”.

In short, Fintan is, I think, destined to be Fintan as he should be. That, I rather think, is a good outcome for any life: that we should become the selves we should have been. I hope he achieves this goal – and that all my children do, too. That, by the way, is what I have tried to do with my life. It is the best way to live.

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page. To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

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Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

The philosopher of the wind.

Tiarnan is just two, but he already asks the most interesting of questions. It seems that beneath his curly head of hair, there is to be found a natural philosopher, if a young one.

Two days ago, Tiarnan asked of his mummy and daddy, "What is the wind? I cannot see the wind."

"Can anyone see the wind?", I asked him.

"No." He said, sure of his own observations.

We were so intrigued by his question that neither of us actually gave him an answer - we were just busy being amazed that he had asked it.

I find it interesting to see Tiarnan begin to question the natural world and think on its nature. This was something that Ainan used to do, when very young. I see the two boys as different but having certain common threads running through their personalities. Perhaps Tiarnan, too, will be interested in science when the time comes - though I feel he has a liking for Art, too. Perhaps he will pursue them both (and music too...for he likes to tinkle with the piano, or anything that is musical).

At Tiarnan's age, all is possible. It is interesting, as a parent, to watch him discover himself and come to understand what he likes and what he might like to do. For now, I see him as multiplicitous and open. I can only guess what he might be like in a few years time - but the question above gives me a clue that among all his concerns, there is going to be a lot of thinking going on, too.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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