6 ms·

I'm always impressed how someone goes on to try to find an answer for something that ultimately isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things. Neverth

I'm always impressed how someone goes on to try to find an answer for something that ultimately isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless I find myself fascinating by this author's journey to figure this detail out.

n4r9 3y ago
Don't forget that Euler invented graph theory to solve an inconsequential riddle (the Bridges of Konigsberg).
- lupire 3y ago
  Not really. Euler was inspired by the trivial riddle to create graph theory. Graph theory answered many, many interesting questions.
  - n4r9 3y ago
    I'm afraid I'm not sure where you're differing from what I said! He invented graph theory to solve the riddle. It was later used to solve other problems as well. It's not clear to me that Euler knew of the myriad possible applications, but would be happy to be shown wrong.
    - lupire 3y ago
      "Inventing graph theory" is a tiny task. He just took a map and simplified the visual presentation. All the work of the theory comes after that one little problem. It wasn't a big journey like this thread starter is talking about. You can see it in the short paper, where most of the length is due to the lack of algebraic notation, and there's nothing there to generalize to answer other questions about graphs.
      - n4r9 3y ago
        Just because the paper is short, doesn't mean that Euler didn't spend significant time and effort dreaming up the solution. If it was a tiny task, someone else would have done it already.
- shagie 3y ago
  For any curious - an English translation of Solutio problematis ad geometriam situs pertinensis - https://www.cantab.net/users/michael.behrend/repubs/maze_maths/pages/euler_en.html https://www.cantab.net/users/michael.behrend/repubs/maze_mat...
1970-01-01 3y ago
My problem with these unimportant analyses is they can never be right or wrong. Its anti-climatic; They are forming yet another opinion.
- lupire 3y ago
  That's Ahab's Leg Dilemma Dilemma: we have to choose between answerable uninteresting questions, or unanswerable interesting questions. And we often don't know in advance if there is an answer.
scop 3y ago
Investigating details that are not “all that important” is I would argue what makes Moby Dick a masterpiece. Many are bored to death by whaling details and look to “improve” Melville’s work by cutting that out and keeping only the “plot”. However, buried within all the whaling details is the narrator looking deeply into all things, trying to find the purpose and point of it all, to see if he can ascertain some truth. He’ll offer some conclusions one chapter, only to contradict them the next. What is truth? What’s the point of this all? This tool, this skill, this ship, this life, this world? Melville doesn’t offer any explicit answers, which is another reason it is a brilliant novel as it forces the reader to come to their own conclusions. And, in the end, even with some conclusions formed we witness the mini-apocalypse at the end of the novel in which our narrator is saved by mere chance (or is it), by the mortifications of a “alien” friend. Our narrator investigates everything deeply, only to find he goes on by the grace of others. And of course, all this is not even to mention we simultaneously having Ahab trying to pierce the very veil of God as a subplot…a true work of genius! Warning: wrestling is required with this novel.
cassepipe 3y ago
Congrats, you unlocked the level 2 video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex74x_gqTU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex74x_gqTU0
moate 3y ago
In the grand scheme of things at a cosmic scale, every human endeavor is a hunt to know which of Ahab's legs was missing. When the last echoes of humanity have been silenced and all trace of us gone from memory, nobody can care if you spent your time trying to figure out a cure for cancer or whether a fictional character would have liked chocolate cake.

n4r9 3y ago

Don't forget that Euler invented graph theory to solve an inconsequential riddle (the Bridges of Konigsberg).

lupire 3y ago
Not really. Euler was inspired by the trivial riddle to create graph theory. Graph theory answered many, many interesting questions.
- n4r9 3y ago
  I'm afraid I'm not sure where you're differing from what I said! He invented graph theory to solve the riddle. It was later used to solve other problems as well. It's not clear to me that Euler knew of the myriad possible applications, but would be happy to be shown wrong.
  - lupire 3y ago
    "Inventing graph theory" is a tiny task. He just took a map and simplified the visual presentation. All the work of the theory comes after that one little problem. It wasn't a big journey like this thread starter is talking about. You can see it in the short paper, where most of the length is due to the lack of algebraic notation, and there's nothing there to generalize to answer other questions about graphs.
    - n4r9 3y ago
      Just because the paper is short, doesn't mean that Euler didn't spend significant time and effort dreaming up the solution. If it was a tiny task, someone else would have done it already.
shagie 3y ago
For any curious - an English translation of Solutio problematis ad geometriam situs pertinensis - https://www.cantab.net/users/michael.behrend/repubs/maze_maths/pages/euler_en.html https://www.cantab.net/users/michael.behrend/repubs/maze_mat...

1970-01-01 3y ago

My problem with these unimportant analyses is they can never be right or wrong. Its anti-climatic; They are forming yet another opinion.

lupire 3y ago
That's Ahab's Leg Dilemma Dilemma: we have to choose between answerable uninteresting questions, or unanswerable interesting questions. And we often don't know in advance if there is an answer.

scop 3y ago

Investigating details that are not “all that important” is I would argue what makes Moby Dick a masterpiece. Many are bored to death by whaling details and look to “improve” Melville’s work by cutting that out and keeping only the “plot”. However, buried within all the whaling details is the narrator looking deeply into all things, trying to find the purpose and point of it all, to see if he can ascertain some truth. He’ll offer some conclusions one chapter, only to contradict them the next. What is truth? What’s the point of this all? This tool, this skill, this ship, this life, this world? Melville doesn’t offer any explicit answers, which is another reason it is a brilliant novel as it forces the reader to come to their own conclusions. And, in the end, even with some conclusions formed we witness the mini-apocalypse at the end of the novel in which our narrator is saved by mere chance (or is it), by the mortifications of a “alien” friend. Our narrator investigates everything deeply, only to find he goes on by the grace of others. And of course, all this is not even to mention we simultaneously having Ahab trying to pierce the very veil of God as a subplot…a true work of genius! Warning: wrestling is required with this novel.

cassepipe 3y ago

Congrats, you unlocked the level 2 video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex74x_gqTU0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex74x_gqTU0

moate 3y ago

In the grand scheme of things at a cosmic scale, every human endeavor is a hunt to know which of Ahab's legs was missing. When the last echoes of humanity have been silenced and all trace of us gone from memory, nobody can care if you spent your time trying to figure out a cure for cancer or whether a fictional character would have liked chocolate cake.