Philosophy scientists can use Part II: Reap What You Sow

Welcome to the second of seven posts about aphorisms that contain wisdom which can be used by scientists. If you missed the introduction to this series we recommend you check it out. This week we are discussing the phrase:

“As you sow, so shall you reap”

It’s possible that when you first hear this aphorism it might bring up religious connotations; it certainly sounds biblical. On the surface the message is clear, whatever action you take now you will have to deal with the consequences in the future, good or bad. This is a sentiment that both our parents and teachers try to instil in us from a young age; responsibility for our actions.

As mentioned this aphorism has religious overtones, which is appropriate given the origin of the phrase. In the King James Bible the phrase can be found as “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians, 6:7). The more common and updated version of this advice is “you reap what you sow.” Despite some research it is unclear when the phrase was updated to the modern version.

If you have come across this particular aphorism in the past it was probably uttered as a warning to remind you to behave a certain way or carry out (or avoid) a specific action. However, the beauty of this aphorism is that it works in both directions; it can remind you that just as bad actions have bad consequences, good actions can have good consequences (I know that in the real world this does not always seem to be the case, but I’m an idealist).  This idea is not only useful for teaching children about responsibility it can also be applied to the life of a scientist. Embracing this wisdom and applying it to your life could provide you with some real benefits:

You get out what you put in
If you’ve been to university you have no doubt sat through your fair share of tedious lecture or seminars counting down the minutes till you can escape to the pub. During these moments of tedium it can feel like you are wasting time which could be better spent. I admit that some topics are monumentally difficult or the presenter is too hard to follow. The truth, however, is that if you want to get value out of these situations it is up to you. If you put the effort in and pay attention you’ll be much more likely to get something out of it; rather than waiting for the interesting bits to find you it is your responsibility to seek them out.

Collaboration is key
For a lot of people, my self included, the concept of networking can be unpleasant at best, if not nightmarish. This is understandable; it can feel like you are selling yourself like a leg of lamb at a butchers or trying to pump others for your own gain rather than acting and treating others like genuine human beings. Unfortunately networking can prove crucial particularly in science where collaboration can lead to truly innovative ideas and really cool science.  Thankfully, in the modern world as well as physical networking we can utilise digital networking (twitter, research gate etc.) to start building relevant networks of our own. Just imagine what some of the historic scientists of previous centuries could have achieved if they had the internet at their fingertips like we do. If you choose to work in isolation odds are you will stay that way and will have to deal with those consequences throughout your subsequent career, but if you work with others and build genuine connections your work can grow to be bigger than you thought.

You’re just screwing future you
You’re running late because you didn’t set an alarm, you can’t find your keys because you don’t have a place for them and your phone is dead because you forgot to charge it last night. We all know that if we tried to organise things a little more our lives could be a little less chaotic, however we also all know that sometimes it feels good to be lazy. We have to be careful that occasionally laziness doesn’t develop into a bad habit which in the long run justs makes life harder for your future self. In some cases the consequences are immediate; when I eat a whole tub of Ben and Jerry’s I end up with a bad stomach as soon as I eat the last piece of cookie dough. But what if I fail to take notes on experiments on a regular basis and every month have to spend hours re-checking the data and miss some? Well that is on me and could have been prevented if I’d remembered that the only person that I’m screwing is myself. This means that only you have the responsibility to make life easier for future you not harder, even if it means a little more effort in the short term.

 As with last weeks discussion, the benefits of this wisdom are obvious and might feel like common sense.  Regardless, sometimes we need to be reminded to act with common sense. The next time you do something that might lead to bad consequences remember this phrase and realise you’re the only one who will benefit or suffer, so why not do what you know is right. 

Can you think of any more reasons that this aphorism could be useful to a scientist? Let us know on twitter.