Quote of the day

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Aristotle
Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, & zoologist (384 BC - 322 BC)

I heard this quote a while ago, and it's stuck with me. I looked it up today and was surprised to find the exact wording. I'd remembered something or other about holding ideas in tension- perhaps the author quoting this was talking about that. So for mine, I'll reword to this: "The mark of an educated mind is having the ability to hold ideas in tension without accepting them".

I think this is true, simply because of the sheer bulk of ideas one will get exposed to as they journey through life. As one learns more, experiences more and becomes more educated they'll inevitably be exposed to a plethora of ideas, ideologies, arguments, philosophies and views. Yet, we don't always have the time or the willpower to form our own view on every one of them. Furthermore, there's a certain wisdom in having the ability to refrain from holding to an opinion- sitting on the fence is fine from time to time. Having the ability to hold two ideas in tension, whilst weighing up the possibilities can also bring a certain calm.