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Pretty agree with the post but it is funny he discovered that "truth" so late in his life. I generally consider mathematics and physics as being the higher ach
by frankohn 4y ago
Pretty agree with the post but it is funny he discovered that "truth" so late in his life.
I generally consider mathematics and physics as being the higher achievements of human knowledge and it is normal to "worship" them as the most important field of study so much that some people dedicate their entire life to them with the same devotion of true monks.
It is surprising that the author didn't include Physics in the fields that provides valuable and durable knowledge worth to acquire. Mathematics alone is sort of "sterile" when is not used within physics knowledge. Without physics it is a sort of highly abstract beauty that people pursuit only for the sake of it's beauty.
On the other side we have to recognize that both mathematics and physics capture nothing about the experience of life as a human being. For this we need real life experience, knowing other people and exchange with them, study history and read historical and social essays in addition to literature classics.
One will not find in them the sharp accuracy and simple laws that physics and mathematics provides but I guess there is no other way to learn what life is and its partial, imperfect truths.
I also cannot resist to recommend, for those who love reading Dostoevsky, to read also Bulgakov's master and Marguerite which is a true masterpiece of beauty and gives a sharp and deep view of what humanity is.
- acchow 4y ago> Mathematics alone is sort of "sterile" when is not used within physics knowledge. Surely you can’t believe this anymore with the discovery of computer science, AI, type theory , etc?
- frankohn 4y ago> Surely you can’t believe this anymore with the discovery of computer science, AI, type theory , etc? Well, I guess in some way we observe that now mathematics can be coupled, in addition to physics, to some new fields like AI, computer science and cryptography. In any case I still think that mathematics becomes more interesting and worthy to study when it is applied into another field like the one we mentioned. In some sense its applications give more sense and more depth to mathematics itself. Some people don't want to learn mathematics because they don't see how it is useful and they don't see its beauty neither. Yet sometime it happens that, later, they discover some applications where mathematics is needed and at this moment the understand how useful and deep mathematics is, just because they see its applications and they understand its meaning.
- weberer 4y agoOr even accounting.
- unhammer 4y ago> Bulgakov's master and Marguerite which is a true masterpiece of beauty and gives a sharp and deep view of what humanity is It's also a very fun book! (Apparantly not all the translations are that good though, but O'Connor and Burgin's https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/mikhail-bulgakov/the-master-and-margarita/9781529012118 https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/mikhail-bulgakov/the-ma... is.)
- userlog4051 4y agoI can also recommend the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation of M&M, as well as their translation of The Brothers Karamazov.
- starkd 4y agoP&V translations are beautifully done. The older Constance Garnett translations are good, though a bit archaic sounding now. I read a very bad translation of Master & Margherita, but it was still worthwhile. Go for the P&V is you can.
- mbeex 4y ago> Mathematics alone is sort of "sterile" when is not used within physics knowledge. Oh no, mathematics is many things. For me - a mathematician - it started with Galois' proof about the nonsolvability of polynomial equations with degree >= 5. No physics is required for this way of thinking about symmetries. Same with number theory, primes and indefinitely more things. Many gained applications to physical problems later, many not. The latter is not a sign that something is missing.
- andrewjl 4y agoOut of curiosity do you draw a distinction between something like Newtonian physics and areas farther removed from everyday life such as high energy physics?