What a pleasure to read these recents posts.//I've noticed the politicians aren't saying much to retirees unless they think we are over the hill and expendable- except we tend to VOTE.// I only have one pair of reader glasses that are rx. I can get by with cheapies for cooking and shopping but the eye doctor told me this was not a very bright plan. One eye will not get the right whatever.// I have been rearranging closets and dressers of late and can't remember where I have switched things so it has been a riot trying to dress.//I did come across a line of Matthew Arnold's that a little math goes a long way for most of humanity and remembered my amazement walking into the wrong classroom and seeing four or five blackboards covered with some algebraic "work of art"- for it is an art.// I don't really need a lot of money but it just costs a lot to live in western economies built on self-sufficiency rather than tribal respect for the wise elders. :-)
On Oct 22, 12:22 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I have real problems remembering where I left my glasses (though not > the ones with beer in) - even the IMF are considering the old Chicago > Plan (1936) for fairer money. We live as paupers in the land of > plenty in my view.http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2012/ > wp12202.pdf > > It's long and boring, but the gist is in the short conclusion. It > lacks your insight into what we are worshipping Al. > > On 22 Oct, 07:27, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > People are expected to change and grow. the errors of the past are > > meant to be out grown and evolved into a life that is kinder and > > gentler with others coming to the forefront leaving the self centered > > being behind,, As I look around I am left wondering if this is what > > is occurring,, I see wealth being more and more concentrated in the > > greedy few.. I see the traditional higher power being replaced by a > > god of gold and wealth, that is worshiped with immense intensity.. > > an intensity that if applied to eliminating poverty ,, poverty would > > be eliminated world wide within a few short years. > > > I have not forgotten anything to my knowledge Neil I can remember my > > childhood to date in great detail recall is not the problem and fear > > well that is more to keep me from getting killed.. I tend to like > > invisibility good idea > > Allan > > > On Sun, Oct 21, 2012 at 11:36 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > With memories as bad as mine and yours Allan we have to invent for > > > fear of remembering we have forgotten everything. > > > > On 21 Oct, 19:00, Allan H <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> What happens when your whole concepts begin changing.. strange > > >> things like the entire universe becomes small and you have to go out > > >> side its bounds.. Being a soul being what happens if the creation > > >> soul is earlier than than the creation of the universe? > > >> Allan > > > >> On Sun, Oct 21, 2012 at 6:09 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> > Science doesn't fascinate me in the way some literature and people can > > >> > generally - I suspect the 'enthusiasm' of the popularisation of the > > >> > subjects. I concur on the predicament element rigs - insightive. It > > >> > seems a mistake to me to try and place god in some scientific- > > >> > dimensional space (though I miss Pat) and I wonder instead whether the > > >> > god-positions people hack out are as baseless as, say, phlogiston - we > > >> > need some new thinking. > > > >> > Science and critical history have demonstrated much religious text is > > >> > fable. We repeatedly see that image management hides much that is > > >> > foul under 'preaching' - here our current examples would be Jimmy > > >> > Saville, Baby P, priestly paedophiles and Hillsborough (scouting in > > >> > the US etc.) - but I'd say we may be on the brink of realising > > >> > economics is equally vile. > > > >> > I can imagine spending a few weeks with a group living human- > > >> > constrained lives in a collective of the future. A woman kisses me > > >> > goodbye. She will not see me again because I'm off to a near-space > > >> > terminal built off Alpha Proxima. From there I'm relativity > > >> > travelling to the edge of this universe to undertake genetic > > >> > transformation beyond the gene-splicing that has allowed me to travel > > >> > in space. I see in 16 colours thanks to a shrimp and can enter > > >> > cryostasis thanks to genes from Arctic fish. I interface with > > >> > machines and their learning directly. I can no longer replicate as a > > >> > human - etc. Now I'm off to meet and form a collective with beings > > >> > who perceive much of the world we can only postulate. In traditional > > >> > science fiction these 'dark beings' would be bastards intent on taking > > >> > over the human world. What I don't see is any focus on a future in > > >> > which the rather soppy human-emotional ties are broken - a future in > > >> > which ... > > > >> > One might ask how the creature I have become would get his jollies. > > >> > One can go the other way in history and ask what religion has actually > > >> > done. We are not inventive enough about god. > > > >> > On 21 Oct, 14:50, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> >> And some feel science is boring unless it can be translated into > > >> >> everyday life in meaningful ways. > > > >> >> On Oct 20, 3:50 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> >> > We travel at 60k plus miles an hour in the solar system and 500K > > >> >> > through the galaxy in our system. I tend to believe we can measure > > >> >> > this kind of thing and that we are always left with questions like > > >> >> > Allan's about before after and beyond. Hitch-hikers' Guide probably > > >> >> > gets to the irony. Quite a few of us discount priests and text- > > >> >> > authority without giving up on spirit. Spinoza remains the clearest > > >> >> > example. > > > >> >> > Creation stories end up in infinite regress - scientific and > > >> >> > otherwise > > >> >> > - and beg the question of 'what came before that' by positing a > > >> >> > fiction of something that needs no creator or origin. I don't > > >> >> > believe > > >> >> > god whipped up the Grand Canyon, but in the limits of our thinking > > >> >> > something whipped up something that led to the evolution of our > > >> >> > planet > > >> >> > etc. I tend to think science rather than literature may lead to a > > >> >> > different way of seeing this and surviving until this is possible. > > >> >> > Literature is generally bland and lacks depth - though there are > > >> >> > great > > >> >> > moments. I suspect one of the key issues is raised by Gabby a lot > > >> >> > of > > >> >> > the time - we need to replace current authority and know the irony > > >> >> > is > > >> >> > such attempts just produce the same old business as usual (WB Yeates > > >> >> > was good on this). > > > >> >> > The stuff on thermodynamics above is very similar in method to > > >> >> > Einstein and what we might now term Wittgensteinian deconstruction - > > >> >> > trying to find the common elements and mistakes in various competing > > >> >> > arguments and readdress the apparent conflict. Molly has some words > > >> >> > on this too. > > > >> >> > On 20 Oct, 20:37, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> >> > > google books had a copy up online, it may still be there. Used > > >> >> > > book > > >> >> > > outlets like Alibris will allow you to put in the book you are > > >> >> > > searching > > >> >> > > for and notify you when a copy becomes available for sale by a > > >> >> > > store that > > >> >> > > uses their service. Other than that, you may find some good > > >> >> > > articles about > > >> >> > > it with excerpts online. for Einstein fans, it is a favorite. > > > >> >> > > On Saturday, October 20, 2012 10:14:03 AM UTC-4, Allan Heretic > > >> >> > > wrote: > > > >> >> > > > how does a person get a hold of the original text..?? > > >> >> > > > Allan > > > >> >> > > > On Sat, Oct 20, 2012 at 3:10 PM, Molly <[email protected] > > >> >> > > > <javascript:>>wrote: > > > >> >> > > >> The Einstein "The World As I See It," originally began as his > > >> >> > > >> ponderance > > >> >> > > >> of something greater than science, and acknowledgement of > > >> >> > > >> spirit in action. > > >> >> > > >> The original edition is the best, as his editors put together > > >> >> > > >> texts with > > >> >> > > >> lectures for him under the same name, and those books have an > > >> >> > > >> entirely > > >> >> > > >> different flavor. > > > >> >> > > >> From my view, "knowing" is not the end of it, but the > > >> >> > > >> beginning. > > > >> >> > > >> On Saturday, October 20, 2012 8:09:19 AM UTC-4, gabbydott > > >> >> > > >> wrote: > > > >> >> > > >>> Honestly, Vam, I don't think that it was Einstein's lack of > > >> >> > > >>> knowledge > > >> >> > > >>> that made him pose such a daft (in the sense of limited) > > >> >> > > >>> question. I read > > >> >> > > >>> this as a description of the state of occidental science at > > >> >> > > >>> his time - the > > >> >> > > >>> conflict between the ontological and the constructivist > > >> >> > > >>> explanatory models > > >> >> > > >>> of the nature of knowledge. > > > >> >> > > >>> On Sat, Oct 20, 2012 at 8:41 AM, Vam <[email protected]> > > >> >> > > >>> wrote: > > > >> >> > > >>>> You spoke of Einstein, about his ” only ” interest being > > >> >> > > >>>> whether God<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God> had > > >> >> > > >>>> any choice in manifesting the universe and this observed > > >> >> > > >>>> creation. > > > >> >> > > >>>> My own suggestion is that if we do not know enough we will > > >> >> > > >>>> always think > > >> >> > > >>>> along those lines. > > > >> >> > > >>>> To the uninitiate, the desktops of today would seem to be > > >> >> > > >>>> thinking > > >> >> > > >>>> entities ... > > > >> >> > > >>>> *So, do we know enough ?* > > > >> >> > > >>>> <https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EBJSz8MhWQU/UIJGzwpvR3I/AAAAAAAAB0...> > > > >> >> > > >>>> On Saturday, October 20, 2012 6:36:45 AM UTC+5:30, rigsy03 > > >> >> > > >>>> wrote: > > > >> >> > > >>>>> I took a course on the Snow-Leavis(1959-1962) controversy > > >> >> > > >>>>> in the > > >> >> > > >>>>> mid-'70's. Perhaps we should then conclude scientists do not > > >> >> > > >>>>> understand humanism? Other works involved included various > > >> >> > > >>>>> essays and > > >> >> > > >>>>> books by Aldous Huxley ("Literature and Science") and > > >> >> > > >>>>> Bronowski > > >> >> > > >>>>> ("Science and Human Values"). Not sure that > > >> >> > > >>>>> "incomprehension and > > >> >> > > >>>>> dislike"(Snow) between the two groups has changed at all > > >> >> > > >>>>> when > > >> >> > > >>>>> considering the gap between rich and poor nations, smart > > >> >> > > >>>>> weapons, etc. > > >> >> > > >>>>> as science and militarism promote the self-interest of > > >> >> > > >>>>> various > > >> >> > > >>>>> nations/ > > >> >> > > >>>>> political theories and practices. Should we quibble that > > >> >> > > >>>>> Nazi > > >> >> > > >>>>> scientists propelled the USA moon landing? At least the > > >> >> > > >>>>> moon survived. > > > >> >> > > >>>>> On Oct 19, 1:37 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> >> > > >>>>> > The below is rather long, but physics is returning to > > >> >> > > >>>>> > some of the > > >> >> > > >>>>> > ideas of James Maxwell. My dog is named after him. > > >> >> > > >>>>> > Years ago, we > > >> >> > > >>>>> > were told their were two cultures ( CP Snow) - one knew > > >> >> > > >>>>> > the 2nd law > > >> >> > > >>>>> of > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --
