11th - 18th Nov 2007

Are we loosing our sense of wonder which has, in the past, been linked with a search for knowledge? Today many people study in order, for example, to obtain a degree or to publish an academic paper – not so much to satisfy their curiosity and wonder. Has wonder a place in our universities?

"To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand."

José Ortega y Gasset (1883 1955, Spanish philosopher).

Additional Thoughts
One of the most significant Jewish theologians clearly linked wonder with knowledge:

"Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge."

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972, Jewish theologian; from 'Man Is Not Alone').

We know that young children have an amazing sense of wonder:

"The qualities that children have which adults often lose are these: an insatiable curiosity, an infuriating persistence in asking why or how, energy and drive to explore and discover, a touching sense of wonder and a tremendous capacity for enjoyment."

Revd Dr Frances Young (theologian; from 'Can these Dry Bones Live?' SCM Press, 1982, p5).

Finally:

"We die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady
radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond reason."

Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961, Swedish diplomat & the 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations).