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Imagination and Science · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Jules Verne, a writer who was not himself a scientist,
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  nevertheless inspired generations of scientists.
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  He did not invent the idea of the submarine, but in his book
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  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea he worked out a number of
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  conceptual issues so that submarine use could become
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  widespread, and he opened up the wonder and beauty of the
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  undersea world so that people would be inspired to try.
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  Similarly, he was not the first to propose the idea of flying to
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  the moon, but in his book From the Earth to the Moon, he
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  developed the story in such a way that once again people were
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  inspired to try, eventually landing people on the moon and
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  returning them safely to the earth.
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  Imagination has always led the way to breakthroughs in science.
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  Nikola Tesla cited a vision he had while walking in a field as
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  the basis for his invention of the alternating current motor,
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  which he eventually developed, perfected, and patented.
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  He made it clear that it was vision that led to his greatest
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  scientific breakthroughs, while his mastery of technical skills
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  in the field allowed him to translate the vision into the
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  reality. Albert Einstein famously stated
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  quote. Imagination is more important
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  than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
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  Imagination encircles the world. End Quote as well as quote.
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  Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's
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  coming attractions. End Quote.
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  Einstein went on to say, quote, we can't know something is
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  possible or impossible until we try it, and without imagination
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  it would never occur to us to try it.
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  End Quote. A disciple notes Men of science
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  must be having imagination. The mother writes quote a lot,
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  otherwise they would never discover anything.
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  In fact, what is called imagination is a capacity to
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  project oneself outside realized things and towards things
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  realizable and then to draw them by the projection.
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  One can obviously have progressive and regressive
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  imaginations. There are people who always
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  imagine all the catastrophes possible and unfortunately they
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  also have the power of making them come.
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  It's like the antennae going into a world that's not yet
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  realized, catching something there and drawing it here.
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  Then naturally it is an addition to the earth atmosphere, and
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  these things tend towards manifestation.
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  It is an instrument which can be disciplined, can be used at
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  will. One can discipline it, direct
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  it, Orient it. It is one of the faculties one
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  can develop in himself and render serviceable.
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  That is, use it for definite purposes.
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  End Quote. Reference Srioro Bindu and the
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  Mother Powers within, Chapter 3, Imagination, pages 31 to 32.