February 21st, 2010
While writing this blog my theme develops around “there isn’t a single truth”, so reading a book that features “an epic search for truth” might not exactly be my thing. Well, in fact, it is. I read Logicomix in one stretch and I was delighted. It contains insights I wished I had known before.
A story about people
Logicomix is a book that treats a very heavy-handed subject in a light way. It is about complicated science, it is about the foundations of science and – whatever we feel about it – it is about knowledge that ultimately influences all and everything around us. So normally this kind of subject is handled in a very serious, sacred atmosphere where full rational attention would be required and any frivolous dissipation would be considered out of bounds.
The writers of Logicomix however chose to give their story a form that is eminently frivolous: a comic book.
read more…
Tags: book, Gödel, Logicomics, logics, mathematics, one-truth
Posted in Article | No Comments »
February 14th, 2010
On January 27th Steve Jobs announced iPad. Reactions have been various, but a dominant sound is that iPad is overhyped and underwhelming. Three years ago Steve Jobs announced iPhone, by that time reactions have been that iPhone was overhyped and underwhelming. Since then it not only sold like crazy, it transformed the cellphone industry. There seems to be a pattern, the introduction of earlier Apple products has not been much different. How is it possible these products get such a cold initial reception among a broad audience and then appear to be groundbreaking nonetheless?
read more…
Tags: Apple, hierarchy, iPad, one-truth, Steve Jobs
Posted in Article | 10 Comments »
February 5th, 2010
For ages people have expected ultimate wisdom coming from the sky. Looking at a clear sky by night with the moon and all the stars is absolutely impressive. When men started building telescopes, followed celestial bodies and slowly understood the concept of planets, it was impressive even more. Today we can build spacecraft, bring a man on the Moon, send observation robots to Mars. What do we really find out there?
read more…
Tags: entropy, one-truth, reality
Posted in Article | 1 Comment »
February 3rd, 2010
We think rationalism is an invention of modernity. Somehow rationalism is connected to industrialization and prosperity, to freedom and happiness. Due to our logical thinking we can understand the world and, because we understand is, we can dominate it and arrange it to our wellbeing. It is logical thinking, the denouncing of superstition and witchcraft, that distinguishes Western civilization from its medieval ancestors (and from non-western societies). Isn’t it?
read more…
Tags: belief, one-truth
Posted in Article | 1 Comment »
January 10th, 2010
With my website up and running it is time to spend some attention to my personal theme: truth versus interaction. This is the theme I expect to be orbiting around while writing upcoming posts. It is the theme I encounter over and over again while searching for answers on personal questions. Instead of truth versus interaction you might also say: hierarchy versus network.
read more…
Tags: hierarchy, interaction, network, one-truth, personal motivation
Posted in Article | No Comments »