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36 DIGS.NET | 4.3.26 "If at first an idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it." — Albert Einstein Another dandy from A.E. Albert's genius extended far beyond the scientific field; he also understood the human condition better than most anyone. And, best of all, he was as unruly as it gets. Absurd ideas change paradigms and advance change. But too many of us don't like the risk and feel it's better to stay in the "axiom zone." Axioms – a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true – are a bit absurd too. We're always being sold on the "Universal Truths" out there. But when you dig deeper and "question the questions," you start to see things you have not seen before. Axioms are seen as "self-evident truths and therefore require no additional proof." Hmm…universal truths that require no further questions or proof. For an unruly lad like me, I think not. I've always had a bit of a problem with anything labeled beyond questioning. The moment someone tells me something is "settled," my curiosity kicks in and I start poking around the edges of the argument. Not because I enjoy being contrarian for sport, but because history is littered with examples of "settled truths" that later turned out to be anything but. The earth was once flat. The sun revolved around us. Flying machines were impossible. And so on. Each of those ideas was defended with the same confidence that many of today's "truths" are delivered with. Which is why a healthy dose of skepticism is not rebellion– it's intellectual hygiene. I like to take a counter-intuitive approach myself. Flip everything on its head–start backwards. Learn by doing. Blaze new trails. And get "schooled" along the way. It's a slower, harder, but more P U B L I S H E R ' S M U S E Axioms rewarding path for those who choose to take it. Because when you build your understanding through experience rather than assumption, the lessons stick. The bruises help. When you dig into the "truth establishment," you'll find some interesting things. Like aphorisms. Aphorisms generally originate from experience and custom – i.e., by "doing." They are distilled observations from the laboratory of life rather than decrees from an ivory tower. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines aphorism as: a concise statement of principle. Concise…yet earned. Aphorisms are what people come up with after they've tried things, failed a few times, succeeded a few times, and then stepped back and said, "Ah…now I see." Maybe we need more aphorisms and fewer axioms. Because axioms often close the door to inquiry, while aphorisms tend to open one. But wait, there's more… …we can't forget about dogma, isms, and pseudo-axioms. Dogma might be the most dangerous of the bunch because it masquerades as certainty while discouraging curiosity. It says: Don't think about it too hard – just accept it. And that's where things start to go sideways. Are you starting to see the "dumb" in the "clever" here? Language that suits the suitor. Every field, profession, and ideology eventually develops its own vocabulary. Some of that language is helpful shorthand. Some of it is camouflage. And some of it exists mainly to create the illusion of authority. Which is why I like to stir the pot a little. Let's flip this on its head and have some fun, shall we? I'm going to add some new jargon to the mix here so we can keep all the scholars out there on their heels.