Intellectual Escape Velocity

In physics, the term escape velocity refers to “the minimum speed needed for a free, non-propelled object to escape from the gravitational influence of a primary body, thus reaching an infinite distance from it”.

Actually, escape velocity is an umbrella term for so called cosmic velocities. The first four cosmic velocities are:

  1. To escape earth’s surface and reach orbit: 7.9 km/s
  2. … earth’s gravitational pull: 11.2 km/s
  3. … sun’s gravitational pull: 16.7 km/s
  4. … Milky Way’s gravitational pull: 525 km/s

For me, the idea of escape velocity is fascinating because it is binary - going faster than it, you are free; going slower than it, you are forever bound to the object pulling you. It is similar to the idea of criticality in nuclear physics, which refers to the state that, once reached, the chain reaction can remain self-sustaining.

It is also fascinating as a model applying to the act of thinking. Similar to an intergalactic probe flying faster than escape velocity to evade the pull of cosmic bodies, a person aspired to think freely cannot stay intellectually stagnant, because there exists various school of thought that exhibit strong intellectual attraction. They will pull one into their orbits. And once captured, unless enough reflection was done against the prevailing wisdom, one is no longer free. It is better to evade capture in the first place. I feel that this characteristic explains why otherwise smart people fall under the influence of cults. Their existing intellectual velocity was below the necessary escape velocity. Drawn in, they end up becoming part of those bodies, adding to their mass, and waiting to pull down the next drifting voyager.

In fact, this is why one has to think even more critically when approaching a prominent school of thoughts (akin to apply a countering force opposite the direction of the gravitational pull), because the latter’s mass, both inherent and added to by those already claimed by its gravitation, is powerful. This explains why madness of crowds often grow at a frenzy pace as it approaches the end - it is pulling everything into its orbit, and the resulting mass in turns more things into its orbit.

Another phenomenon that I think the model of escape velocity applies to is that of personal enlightenment:

  1. Everyone at birth starts with an initial velocity of zero, but has different innate ability when its comes to acceleration, i.e., the ability to learn.
  2. Upbringing/family/environment determines the escape velocity required, i.e., how much one has to learn in order to move away from his starting point.

With these, one reaches the sobering conclusion that, not everyone will be able to go far from where he started. Some people were born into families that pull them downward with great force; some failed to learn; some learn, but not fast enough as the adversity is also getting stronger; some were in an environment that simply does not have the material to provide the acceleration. It takes all - constant effort, aptitude and the right education - to transcend one’s upbringing.

No matter what it is still worthwhile to try to reach escape velocity. Though not everyone will chart a course into infinity, perhaps it is still viable to reach orbit, and that would be a better starting point for the next generation.