There have been several mentions of Thomas Campbell in these threads. He wrote a book called "My Big T.O.E." with 820 pages of an intriguing, fresh perspective.

Aside from Campbell's theories, I find a lot of value in his admonition to take one's time in absorbing new information slowly. He basically scolds many of us for rushing through presentations of new information, pushing ourselves to reach a goal of understanding, all the while skipping over the introductions that would help clarify the new information. I couldn't find the exact passage, but Campbell relates how, in olden times, a person would sit for a long while, contemplating a single, simple concept until he had plumbed the depths of that concept. In our modern day rush for the "meat" of the information, this is something that we longer do and our understanding suffers because of it.

We need to slow down and savor an idea. Roll it around on one’s tongue. Look at it. Examine it. Explore its peripherals. Discover any tangents to other ideas.

Below are some quotes from the Preface to the book, which I think are relevant to the study of these "Chaol" threads.

Thomas Campbell writes:

"Yes, you should read this preface.

I understand that many readers have little interest in, or patience for, lengthy prefaces or forewords. This first question is always: Should I take the time to read this ancillary text, or can I skip it without missing anything important?

Most of us are eager to zip past the preliminaries and immediately sink our teeth into the meat of the main text. Anticipation and expectation push us to get on with the real thing. We of Western culture are an impatient goal oriented people driven toward endpoints. In our rush to the finish line, we take little notice of the journey that gets us there. Such a misappropriation of emphasis often squanders our opportunities because, more often than not, the tastiest and most nourishing part of life lies in experiencing the process, not in attaining the goal.

...

I strongly suggest that you adopt an attitude of patience toward gaining an understanding of the profound mysteries and ancient secrets that are logically unraveled by this new physics...

You may find it more productive to pace yourself by depth of comprehension than by percent of completion. Avoid rushing from concept to concept the way children pursue presents on Christmas day. Take your time. A feast for heart, head, and soul is best ingested little by little, bite by bite, with many thoughtful pauses and much careful cogitation to aid digestion. Genuine breakthroughs must be absorbed slowly as existing paradigms grudgingly dissolve. Familiar paradigms, like a favorite teddy bear, can be extremely difficult to let go.

Every successful journey, regardless of how long or difficult, begins with a single step that is animated by gumption, directed by goals, and repeated as often as necessary by dogged perseverance."

My Big T.O.E.
by Thomas Campbell

[link to books.google.com]