3 ms·
This was a pre-internet book though. The internet has made explanations hyper competitive. At this point I can find dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of explanatio
by inputcoffee 8y ago
This was a pre-internet book though.
The internet has made explanations hyper competitive. At this point I can find dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of explanations of Godel's theorem.
But in the pre-internet days I could go to the library, or have my friend Kent explain it to me. (He had to explain first that languages were either complete or true -- he called it sound if I recall. soundness was the property -- and then it was demonstrated that these formal languages were sound, therefore incomplete.)
Back then you couldn't just google Godel and say "oh, that reminds me of music returning to the tonic" or whatever and then google that.
I think because a lot of the ideas have sort of spread out into culture, and been re-explained over the years, the best explanation are not in those books anymore.
- pfortuny 8y ago“The best explanation”... That is something which you should reconsider. Few problems have a single optimal solution. And knowledge is more a matter of cumulative subjective experiences than a single event. What is good for me is bad for you (as a matter of fact I find Gödel’s proof unmistakeaby clear).
- inputcoffee 8y agoI concede the point: the "best" explanation is best in a context. The best explanation for a PhD candidate about to defend their thesis the next day is not the same as it is for, say, me. But that reinforces the point I am making.