The Nolan, in order to cause completely opposite effects, has freed the human mind and the knowledge, which were shut up in the strait prison of the turbulent air. Hardly could the mind gaze at the most distant stars as if through some few peepholes, and its wings were clipped so that it could not soar and pierce the veil of the clouds to see what was actually there. It could not free itself from the chimeras of those who, coming forth with manifold imposture from the mire and pits of the earth (as if they were Mercuries and Apollos descended from the skies), have filled the whole world with infinite folly, nonsense and vice, disguised as so much virtue, divinity and discipline. By approving and confirming the misty darkness of the sophists and block-heads, they extinguished the light which made the minds of our ancient fathers divine and heroic. Therefore human reason, so long oppressed, now and again in a lucid interval laments her base condition to the divine and provident Mind that ever whispers in her inner ear, responding to suchlike measures:
Who will mount for me, O Madonna, to the sky,
And bring back thence my lost wisdom?Now behold the man who has surmounted the air, penetrated the sky, wandered among the stars, passed beyond the borders of the world, effaced the imaginary walls of the first, eight, ninth, tenth spheres, and the many more you could add according to the tattlings of empty mathematicians and the blind vision of vulgar philosophers.
Cena de le Ceneri pp.27-28
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Obviously some people have always been ready to die for their persuations (science, truth or beliefs) and it has never been an easy ride to defend truth against authority as we do see and experience today.
This man, as a citizen and servant of the world, a child of Father Sun and Mother Earth, because he loves the world too much, must be hated, censored, persecuted and extinguished by it. But, in the meantime, may he no be idle or badly employed while awaiting his death, his transmigration, his change.
Bruno-Spaccio de la bestia trionfante-
An interesting thought brought up on Tallbloke’s Talkshop is that any alternative scientific hypothesis has to address existing, mainstream theory. This is incorrect. It is a tremedous waste of energy for anyone engaging in science to be obligated to address what is wrong with current paradigms. They may do that, but it is not necessary in conducting a careful scientific enquiry.
The quote says:
That “light of the mind” is simply the ability to ask a carefully crafted question, and then make the empirical observations and use experimentation to try to answer the question as asked. For example, if Anthony Watts asks a question about the paint on the weather stations affecting the readings of the temperatures, then he is free to go and make that inquiry and develop his Surface Stations project. This is just a familiar example – though I think there are many more to inspire and instruct us in this principle.
This is the whole bite and sting of the internet – that all people are not bound to arrive at the same conclusions as those possessing the traditional resources, institutions, billions, or positions of authority and tenure. Simply ask the question, and show the work, with all the diligence and intensity and rigour you can, at that time in your development. It may take a lifetime or decades to realize results. That is the heroic fire within (but not very poetically stated).
Poetic or not, I think you got it, Zeke.
+1 Zeke..
I was trained in the “soft” science of Biology.I had an old Professor who had on his
wall a Picture of Bruno. and underneath it-“Question Authority.” He used Bruno as
an :
”example of the challenge to Authority that is sometimes necessary to carry
knowlege forward.” never forgot that…
Yes, thank you. The question that a given study is trying to answer is always interesting to try to isolate. Once one looks at the question in terms of how it is framed, it is possible to notice how the question may in fact be strictly determining and defining the possible answers the scientists will get from the observations. As an example, here is a statement from a scientist with Envisat, a satellite used to monitor ice sheets in Antarctica:
This is called a “loaded question.” (: (If it is a question at all.) And this is the kind of bad question that actually determines the answer you will get from this expensive mission. The same press release (Apr 5) goes on to assure the reader that the new Sentinel satellites will have the same function.
clarification: bad question that determines the answer they will get from the expensive mission.
TB,
Interesting…
I have found some of our science conclusions are totally backwards to what is actually happening in planetary science.
We(scientists) study data and try to recreate a mathematical formula to recreate our planet only to find,surprise, it does not work. Why?
They totally missed many parameters to generate a simple conclusion and hence generate more funding and educate the public to become idiots.