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Re: The Einstein issue of Discover Magazine



Dear Ayten, a thought (and artistic emotions) provoking post indeed.
 
To the Lee Smolins quote-part from Judith's post below:
you must be a well-trained physicist, literate in current theories and aware of their limitations..."
I would add: and be a reductionist like Einstein, who took the limited model of 'physical' quantities for the world as 'total' in his considerations. Don't forget, there is no such 'thing' in the so called physical reality (what is it?) as " l i g h t  ", the speed of which is said to be 'constant'. There are effects we explained and calculated as 'photons' that 'move'(?) and our mindful interpretation forms this percept into a light, - image, etc. mental realization.
(Same with 'sound', mass, even energy etc.).
Our instruments are designed to serve this model. Ingeniously.
 
You wrote:
>...As the real complexity starts, I believe, in fields above and beyond physics it is essential to have a good understanding of mathematics and physics but not enough...."<
We (all, westernly learned) are brainwashed into reductionistic thinking in calculations by quantized models - considered as the total of their topical cut. There is a danger in a 'good understanding': one slips easily into the habit and it distorts the wholistical ways of thinking into the learned maxims.
I think we all struggle with such schizophrenia to think on one side int natural systems and on the other side more mechanistic or simple models. I believe RR also struggled in this, especially since he wanted to write to the reductionistic crowd palatably.
It seems he could keep a clear barrier dividing such dichotomy.
 
Your _expression_ "...meta-scientists and theorists, ..." is a label mostly applied derogatorily by the "establishemnt-scientists" on people who dare express unorthodox opinions. (I do  not want to eliminate the posibility of half-baked thinkers and unscientific errants, but such identification has to be made with caution: many 'unconventional' ideas look like a hoax.)
 
Music: Song is an age-old part of human mentality (I missed Wolff from your composers)
expressing the 'emotional' side mostly. Two points to add: in human history there was a strong effect (to the worse) of violent war-songs to promote brutality and I wonder how would the honorable list-members deem "rap-art" - the _expression_ of contemporary and emotional feelings in rhythmical, but mostly unharmonized declamation of texts? Is it art?
(I dislike it but accept it as art. Contemporary art about malaises torturing the minds in artful expressiveness, are mostly disliked by contemporaries - eg. Beethoven, etc.).
 
Intuition? good point. How about art? I am sure RR had a lot to say about it.
 
John M
----- Original Message -----
To: ***
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 5:09 AM
Subject: Re: The Einstein issue of Discover Magazine

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----- Original Message -----
To: ***
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:51 PM
Subject: The Einstein issue of Discover Magazine
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