Napkin Sketches-The Science Of Ideas

 

 

Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone.
Albert Einstein

So I was feeling a little head cold coming on yesterday when I decided to  take it easy for the rest of the day ( yeah self-employment!). I am traveling on Sunday, on what will be the kick off to lots of traveling, working, networking and learning for me until after Thanksgiving.

It’s a marathon people, not a sprint.

So as I was resting I started perusing the dictionary for fun- and yes I am THAT big a nerd.  Anyway, I learned a great word today:

Sophiology- The science of ideas.

I LOVE that word. I am grinning like a loon as I write it. I may have begun to obsess about it, if I am being honest. I may even challenge myself to use it a minimum of 5 times tomorrow in casual conversation or tweets, but I digress.

Until I learned this fabulous word in my mind I referred to this process as”napkin sketches“. You know what happens when you are discussing some great concept with colleagues then the lightning bolt hits you. You grab the closest piece of scrap paper or napkin and start the idea birthing process.

 When I think of science I think of something where the steps are replicable. They are testable and they are reliable.  As I think about and research the origins of the word science I begin to see it as reliable knowledge about a topic such as library science, or political science.

So keeping replicable, testable and reliable in mind, when I think of Sophiology I think of:

Thought– First comes thought which in my twisted minds is actually imagination.  Everything we experience or will experience comes from here….some call it their mojo, some call it their magic. It’s what proceeds reality and it’s the only way we will find the solutions to our problems as individuals or the big problems facing the world…..Its everything.

 Organization- Next is organization of that” thought” into ideas or plans.  Planning determines where the thought is going next and how it’s going to get there.  Don’t be concerned about finding the “perfect way”, because there is no such thing.  Here is where you follow the words from that super genius Einstein- the plans should be simple and easily understood to everyone.

Transformation- Step three is the turning of those plans into reality.  Action planning is laying out how you’re “thought” will be accomplished. Action planning often includes specifying the what, why, how, who and when – in reality it’s the meat and potatoes. If I was in the military this would be where the tactical stuff happens- you cannot move anything from thought to reality without tactic– as that is what actually moves your ball down the field.

My last thought

Timing is critical to the science of ideas. You need to be like the nursery rhyme- nimble and quick.  You have to be able to adapt your idea to the real world. You need to constantly test your assumptions and you need a structure that enables quick decisions, without more process than is needed.

Want to know my great new thought? How do I make Sophiology a trending topic…..?

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