Perspective Shifts — Yes, But Which Kind?

How you approach the world is a crucial consideration.

I ran across this quote years ago and yesterday’s discussion with my students in ethics class brought it to mind.

“Perspective shifts will unlock more than smartness will.”
– Dr. Astro Teller

There is wisdom in this quote, but like all wisdom, it has to go deeper than a slogan or it isn’t really wisdom at all. Dr. Teller’s slogan is a wonderful test case to explore this.

On Perspective Shifts

First, let’s look at the meaning of perspective shifts. We humans are creatures defined by our beliefs. And our beliefs define our perspective on the world in which we are embedded. Our beliefs structure our perspective. If we are stuck in our beliefs and do not allow new information and new ideas to alter our perspectives, we limit ourselves.

What Dr. Teller says is so true: shifting our perspective will reveal and open up more possibilities than being smart ever will. One can be very smart within only a narrow perspective and thus remain limited in one’s possibilities. If say, one works on a scientific or social problem, but applies one’s smarts through only one mindset, one may never solve it. Very few…