On Oct 21st, 2024, Academies of Loudoun had the honor of hosting international writer B. Jeyamohan, who gave a small speech, as well as recorded a podcast, for the current generation of students. He started his speech by posing the question: “What is the role of literature and philosophy in science and in the life of a scientist?” He shared that there is a strong belief in our society that science and literature, and also philosophy, are entirely different elements, and proponents of each tend to dismiss the other’s ideologies. He would go on in his speech to provide insight into how reading literature assists young scientists in maneuvering through the path of logic, intuition and imagination – tools essential for creativity.

He began by saying that literature is a huge collection of microdata of human life that is essential for understanding current knowledge, and without previous knowledge, current knowledge cannot be understood or obtained. He related ants in an ant hill to scientists all around the world who for thousands of years have been contributing to this pile of knowledge. Just as how the ant assists a huge anthill millions of times bigger than it, humans add to a bulk of knowledge that far transcends one individual. Jeyamohan addressed the collective unconscious within all life forms that enable creations bigger than the individual themselves. 

He asserted that there are three basic kinds of human perception; logic, intuition and imagination are essential tools for creativity. He related the three by stating the predominant characteristic of each. Logic is objective; intuition is subjective; and imagination is the pathway that bridges logic and intuition. It is through imagination that purposes much higher are possible. He aligned his explanation with Vedantha philosophy, which explains three kinds of perceptions of the universe: Pratyaksha, Anumana, and Shruthi. Diving into the intricacies in human perception, Mr. B. Jeyamohan concluded his speech by explaining the importance and correlation of logic and intuition and imagination, which is enhanced by reading literature! 

Mr. Jeyamohan’s visit and speech were well received by students and faculty. Many stayed after to speak with the  celebrated Southern Indian author. 

If you would like to hear the podcast that Research Librarian Ms. Roberts recorded with Mr. Jeyamohan, please click on the link below.

Podcast!

review written by Pranav Ravikumar