[PEN-L] Summers agonistes

[Larry Summers' travails are described with considerable -- some might say excessive -- sympathy in today's NY Times. NB Rachel Donadio's sneering references to the values and pieties of the 60's and the guise of leftist open-mindedness together her genuflecting to today's political and economic

[PEN-L] More Godel

Michael Perelman: Mirowski says that Godel's proof rattled both Turing Van Neuman, making them turn from formalizing to matters such as game theory computers. -clip- CB: As Carlos on Marxmail suggested might be pertinent to this: The question whether objective truth can be attributed to

Re: [PEN-L] why a Matrix couldn't be realized in real life

Greetings Economists, The matrix is a fantasy about creating versimultudenous world to keep humans busy thinking so they provide electricity. It is waste of time, resources, and energy to make a plausible world wide amusement park for humans to lie around (in the movie) to participate in. That's

Re: [PEN-L] Lewontin reviews Steven Rose's latest book on the brain

Greetings Economists, There are some interesting quotes from Steven Rose in the London Times about his new book (which is not currently published in the U.S. so I can't comment on directly). The interviewer makes this comment to start with; Interviewer, Steven Rose feels strongly about many

Re: [PEN-L] More Godel

michael perelman wrote: Mirowski says that Godel's proof rattled both Turing Van Neuman, making them turn from formalizing to matters such as game theory computers. probably true, but IIRC turing published his halting problem result after 'undecidability propositions of principia

Re: [PEN-L] More Godel

Charles Brown wrote: CB: As Carlos on Marxmail suggested might be pertinent to this: The question whether objective truth can be attributed to human thinking is not a question of theory but is a practical question. Man must prove the truth, i.e., the reality and power, the this-sidedness

[PEN-L] messing with the public mind

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/mar2005/prop-m17.shtml Bush administration defends use of covert propaganda in US By Bill Van Auken 17 March 2005 The Bush administration last week instructed US government agencies to ignore a ruling by the comptroller general of the United States barring the

[PEN-L] Fwd from Jim Craven: Speech on Lenin and Market Economy

Hi Louis, Would you please send this out to the lists? My only comment would be to note that Lenin was ruthlessly honest about the NEP in characterizing it as a tactical retreat (in the face of low levels of development of productive forces, the myriad needs of the masses, imperialist

Re: [PEN-L] More Godel

michael perelman wrote: Mirowski says that Godel's proof rattled both Turing Van Neuman, making them turn from formalizing to matters such as game theory computers. i grabbed a copy of Goldstein's book this morning in the bookstore and gave it a fast read (good on history and philosophical

[PEN-L] Excellent Nation Magazine article on Columbia MEALAC controversy

Nation Magazine, March 16, 2005 The Mideast Comes to Columbia by Scott Sherman In December 2003 Rabbi Charles Sheer, the director of the Columbia/Barnard chapter of Hillel, the Jewish campus organization, dispatched an e-bulletin to alumni, students and supporters. There was much to report: In

Re: [PEN-L] People vs Banks

You have basically got it; all your points are right, but look at it from the point of view of the depositors. Pretend you've got a $100,000 savings account and you're living off the interest (this is an unrealistic example but bear with me). If that rate of interest is 5%, then you're living

Re: [PEN-L] More Godel

Les Schaffer wrote: in relation to a question raised on marxmail regarding any relationship between Godel's and Heisenberg's work: next to Goldstein's book at the Border's Bookstore math section stood an interesting work by Palle Yourgrau (philosopher at Brandeis) entitled A World Without

[PEN-L] World Bank and transparency

Here's a petition that will make you want to circulate a statement commending the selection of Wolfowitz! SIGN-ON STATEMENT ON WOLFOWITZ NOMINATION AS WORLD BANK PRESIDENT. DEADLINE FOR SIGNATURE FRIDAY 18TH MARCH, 16.00 European continental time Circulate widely to your contacts today.

Re: [PEN-L] World Bank and transparency

(Michael L., I just sent this to my old buddy Alex and some WB warrior listserves. Is the logic wrong?) Alex, what about those of us - I'm surely not the only one - who consider this appointment a delightful turn of events?There are plenty of us:* who would delegitimise the World Bank and

Re: [PEN-L] People vs Banks

What would happen if you attempted to sell the house and pay off the mortgage before its maturity? You would have paid off more principle and less interest, but the payoff due would come out the same as under the conventional amortization scheme. The reason is that the interest portion of each

[PEN-L] Wolfowitz at the World Bank: An Empire without a Global Economic Policy?

Wolfowitz at the World Bank: An Empire without a Global Economic Policy? (A momentum to break open debtors' prisons that the Washington Consensus built in the global south has been building up, demonstrated by Argentina's ability to compel 75% of its creditors to accept 35 cents on the dollar.

Re: [PEN-L] Lewontin reviews Steven Rose's latest book on the brain

At 12:04 PM 3/16/2005, Charles Brown wrote: is there a reason why a network of computers cannot exhibit similar characteristics? (and now we can link this thread to jimD's godel one! ;-)). --ravi ^ CB: So far, except in a Matrix fantasy, it takes extensive human mediation to plug

Re: [PEN-L] Lewontin reviews Steven Rose's latest book on the brain

But how do you know we're not already living in the Matrix? Kelley If you paid attention, you'd know that we live in the Matrix already. ;-) Jim Devine

Re: [PEN-L] World Bank and transparency

Patrick's dead right here. I'd add 1) this shouldn't have been a surprise - the example of Robert MacNamara suggests that the WB presidency is the traditional honour provided by the American political system as a reward for presiding over a military disaster. 2) it takes Wolfowitz

Re: [PEN-L] Lewontin reviews Steven Rose's latest book on the brain

But how do you know we're not already living in the Matrix? Kelley The fact that the outside world appears outside my window reasonably reliably and does not turn blue and disappear for no apparent reason, suggests to me that it is not run by any IT department known to man. dd

[PEN-L] truly terrifying appointment

World Development Movement blames European governments for Wolfowitz nomination http://www.wdm.org.uk/news/presrel/current/wolfowitz.htm

Re: [PEN-L] Lewontin reviews Steven Rose's latest book on the brain

-Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Daniel Davies But how do you know we're not already living in the Matrix? Kelley The fact that the outside world appears outside my window reasonably reliably and does not turn blue and disappear for no

[PEN-L] World Bank and transparency

The issue is tone. We have persuasively argued that literally hundreds of millions have suffered senselessly (and many have died), as a direct result of WB/IMF policies. Now someone yet more cruel has come to impose yet harsher policies which will create yet more suffering and deaths. It is not

Re: [PEN-L] World Bank and transparency

Exactly, Patrick! Now, what about the ILO being headed up by someone from Coca-Cola or Walmart? Not quite the same, of course-- but another of my favourite institutions. m At 17:53 17/03/2005, you wrote: (Michael L., I just sent this to my old buddy Alex and some WB warrior listserves. Is the

[PEN-L] why a global matrix exists now

Without cutting across Doyle very correct points, below, about the fantasy of the Matrix, and without necessarily asking people to see it my way, I am still suggesting that there is a matrix (small M) of human communication, which is getting stronger with globalisation and with advances in finance