Creation of This Blog, Explaination of Title

Well, I suppose this has been some time coming.

I've been publishing notes and sharing articles on facebook more and more frequently. Given the constraining nature of the facebook context, the need for a more flexible outlet became pressing.

Thus, this blog.

Anyways, the title of the blog is a tip of my hat to Albert Einstein. Specifically, his quote: "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."

Einstein has always fascinated me, I read a book on him some time ago. My sister bought me a poster with a picture of Einstein and the first sentence of that excerpt as a caption, so the quote has sentimental value. But not only that, I think the quote elaborates valuable insight.

I have quite frequently found myself going against the grain, being the devil's advocate. Challenging the status quo has always been profoundly more fun than going along with popular opinion, for me. I suppose then that the title speaks to how I act generally: challenging the norm. Of course, being a white male, there are areas in which I do conform. However, generally, I find myself in a position similar to what Massimo Pigliucci describes:

"One side calls me an accommodationist, the other accuses me of scientism, I must be doing something right..."

The world is full of Great Spirits and Mediocre Minds, and we are swimming in a sea of ideas.

This blog is just another drop in the sea.