[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fBQHH0sO_GtfswmIa54eENAvCbM1hPUlduVYecmzcka0":3,"$ff4uIdeurp-RY0uu8FLbdkwxgMXIVXAS6CUbxF1xABUA":52},{"author":4,"tags":51},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":49,"image_url":50},58585,"James Dewar","J",3,"James Dewar was born on the twentieth of September, 1842, in Kincardine, Scotland. A citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, he received his early schooling at Dollar Academy before going on to study at the University of Edinburgh, where his formation as a scientist began to take shape.\n\nHe worked throughout his career as both a physicist and a chemist, and his practice extended into invention as well. The distinctions awarded to him across the course of that career were numerous and came from varied quarters. He received the Davy Medal, the Rumford Medal, the Copley Medal, and the Royal Society Bakerian Medal, as well as the Albert Medal, the Franklin Medal, the Hodgkins Medal, the Matteucci Medal, the Lavoisier Medal, and the Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and was appointed a Knight Bachelor.\n\nDewar conducted his work in English, operating within the scientific culture of the United Kingdom while drawing recognition from institutions beyond it. The range of medals and prizes bearing his name — spanning British bodies and those on the European continent — reflects a career that attracted sustained attention across more than one field. His parallel identities as physicist, chemist, and inventor gave his working life a breadth that the accumulation of those honours, in its variety, tends to confirm.\n\nJames Dewar died on the twenty-seventh of March, 1923, in London. He had lived to the age of eighty, and the Copley Medal — among the most prominent of the distinctions listed among his honours — stands as one concrete measure of the recognition his work earned during his lifetime.","James Dewar was born on the twentieth of September, 1842, in Kincardine, Scotland. A citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, he received his early schooling at Dollar Academy before going on to study at the University of Edinburgh, where his formation as a scientist began to take shape.",{"@graph":12,"@context":48},[13,25],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":22,"deathDate":23,"description":24},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q277579","Person",[14,17,18,19,20,21],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dewar","https://viaf.org/viaf/10588893/","https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97803643","https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL2442403A","https://d-nb.info/gnd/11609530X","1842-09-20","1923-03-27","Scottish chemist and physicist (1842–1923)",{"@type":26,"author":27,"headline":30,"isBasedOn":31,"mainEntity":32,"reviewedBy":33,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":34,"dateModified":35,"additionalProperty":36,"creativeWorkStatus":47},"Article",{"name":28,"@type":29},"Editorial Team","Organization","James Dewar — biography",[14,17,19,20],{"@id":14},{"name":28,"@type":29},"2026-05-24T10:36:06.415553+00:00","2026-05-24T10:45:05.973570+00:00",[37,41,44],{"@type":38,"value":39,"propertyID":40},"PropertyValue","Q277579","wikidata",{"@type":38,"value":42,"propertyID":43},"0.962","factscore",{"@type":38,"value":45,"propertyID":46},"claude-sonnet-4-6-r1","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","james-dewar",null,[],{"quotes":53,"pagination":108},[54,63,69],{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":57,"has_image":58,"author":59,"source":60,"quote_tag":61,"commentary":62},3103842,"Books and minds only work when they’re open.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to James Dewar, a British chemist and physicist who discovered the compound helium. Although I couldn't pinpoint the exact origin of this quote, it's likely from one of his lectures or writings in the early 20th century. During this time, Dewar was actively promoting scientific literacy and accessibility, reflecting the era's growing interest in science education.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt first glance, the quote appears to be a straightforward statement on the importance of being receptive to knowledge. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a more profound insight: that the act of learning is not solely about acquiring new information but also about cultivating a state of openness and receptivity. Dewar's phrase highlights the paradoxical nature of intellectual growth, where one must simultaneously be an active learner and allow oneself to be shaped by new ideas.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset in your own life, try embracing the concept of \"openness\" as a deliberate practice. Before engaging with new information or a challenging task, take a moment to mentally clear your slate, suspending preconceptions and biases. By adopting this approach, you'll be better equipped to absorb and integrate new knowledge, fostering deeper understanding and creativity.",{"id":64,"quote_text":65,"author_id":5,"source_id":57,"has_image":58,"author":66,"source":67,"quote_tag":68,"commentary":50},3103824,"Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":70,"quote_text":71,"author_id":5,"source_id":72,"has_image":73,"author":74,"source":75,"quote_tag":76,"commentary":107},363358,"Books and minds only work when they're open.",2,true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[77,82,87,92,97,102],{"id":78,"tag":79},2137711,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},366,"intelligence",{"id":83,"tag":84},2137714,{"id":85,"tag_name":86},935,"open-mindedness",{"id":88,"tag":89},2137710,{"id":90,"tag_name":91},2252,"common-sense",{"id":93,"tag":94},2137716,{"id":95,"tag_name":96},3586,"pragmatism",{"id":98,"tag":99},2137713,{"id":100,"tag_name":101},6549,"liberalism",{"id":103,"tag":104},2137715,{"id":105,"tag_name":106},18929,"practicality","**The Backstory**\nThis quote is likely from the era of James Dewar, a Scottish chemist and physicist who lived from 1842 to 1923. During his time, scientific discoveries were often met with skepticism and criticism, and it was not uncommon for researchers to face resistance to their ideas. As Dewar navigated this challenging landscape, he recognized that intellectual progress requires an open-minded approach.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe phrase \"Books and minds only work when they're open\" suggests a paradoxical relationship between receptivity and critical thinking. On the surface, it seems to advocate for a naive acceptance of information without scrutiny. However, upon closer examination, Dewar is actually highlighting the importance of balancing skepticism with an openness to new ideas.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider approaching your own research or creative endeavors with a \"both/and\" mentality: simultaneously maintaining a critical eye for flaws and biases while cultivating an open-minded receptivity to novel perspectives. By embracing this paradoxical approach, you can foster an environment where intellectual exploration thrives.",{"currentPage":109,"totalPages":109,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":110},1,10]