(See previous entry.)
– Source: The Nation online,
Robert Scheer column of Feb. 3, 2004
containing movie ad of Sept. 30, 2005
“This place ain’t doing me any good.
I’m in the wrong town,
I should be in Hollywood.”
– Dylan, “Things Have Changed“
From today’s Harvard Crimson:
Former House Master Dead at 89
“Andrews discovered Harvard while studying at
the Army Air Force’s Statistical Control School, which was held at HBS
and taught by HBS faculty.
Having completed his Air Force service
in 1946, Andrews joined a multidisciplinary teaching group at HBS to
develop a new course called Administrative Practices.”
 |
“All the truth in the world
adds up to one big lie.”
To St. Michael on his day (9/29)
in the spirit of St. Cecilia’s Eve (11/21):
And Hennessey Tennessee tootles the flute,
And the music is somethin’ grand;
A credit to old Ireland is McNamara’s band.
Click on picture for details.
— H. S. M. Coxeter, introduction to
Richard J. Trudeau’s
The Non-Euclidean Revolution
“People have
always longed for truths about the world — not logical
truths, for all their utility; or even probable truths,
without which daily life would be impossible; but
informative, certain truths, the only ‘truths’ strictly
worthy of the name. Such truths I will call ‘diamonds’;
they are highly desirable but hard to find….The happy
metaphor is Morris Kline’s in Mathematics in Western
Culture (Oxford, 1953), p. 430.”
— Richard J. Trudeau,
The Non-Euclidean Revolution,
Birkhauser Boston,
1987, pages 114 and 117
“A new
epistemology is emerging to replace the Diamond Theory of
truth. I will call it the ‘Story Theory’ of truth: There
are no diamonds. People make up stories about what they
experience. Stories that catch on are called ‘true.’ The
Story Theory of truth is itself a story that is catching
on. It is being told and retold, with increasing frequency,
by thinkers of many stripes…. My own viewpoint is the
Story Theory…. I concluded long ago that each enterprise
contains only stories (which the scientists call ‘models of
reality’). I had started by hunting diamonds; I did find
dazzlingly beautiful jewels, but always of human
manufacture.”
— Richard J. Trudeau,
The Non-Euclidean Revolution,
Birkhauser Boston,
1987, pages 256 and 259
An example of
the story theory of truth:
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (“Proof”) was apparently born on either Sept.
27, 1972, or Sept. 28, 1972. Google searches yield “about 193” results for the 27th and “about 610” for the 28th.
Those who believe in the “story theory” of truth may therefore want to
wish her a happy birthday today. Those who do not may prefer
the contents of yesterday’s entry, from Paltrow’s other birthday.
Yesterday was
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday.
(See previous entry.)
“There is a place for a hint
somewhere of a big agent
to complete the picture.”
– Notes for an unfinished novel,
The Last Tycoon
|
Parable: “A comparison or analogy. The word is simply a transliteration of the Greek word: parabolé (literally: |
|
Related material:
So far, the Yale Daily News obit is the only one showing up on a Google
News search. Probably the New York Times will get around to Lang
eventually. In the meantime, here’s what an online newspaper and
some blogs have to say.
The New Haven Independent
Obituary for Serge Lang
Weblog Entries on
Serge Lang’s Death
Peter Woit’s weblog
New AIDS Review
Locana
Weapon of Class Instruction
Simon’s Rock College’s Journal
Update of Sept. 24, 2004, 9:25 PM:
The New York Times now has an obituary.
The Randomness
In yesterday’s New York Times, science writer George Johnson quoted a Buddhist:
“Though he professes to accept evolutionary theory, he recoils at one of
its most basic tenets: that the mutations that provide the raw material
for natural selection occur at random. Look deeply enough, he suggests,
and the randomness will turn out to be complexity in disguise– ‘hidden
causality,’ the Buddha’s smile. There you have it, Eastern religion’s
version of intelligent design.”
– “The Universe in a Single Atom”: Reason and Faith
| Sunday NY lottery 9/18/05 |
Sunday PA lottery 9/18/05 |
| Midday: 748 | Midday: 999 |
| Evening: 000 | Evening: 709 |
Gamblers, religious zealots, and the insane may interpret the above as utterances of Lady Luck, God, or The Conspiracy.
A Buddhist interpretation for the New York Times:
A Christian interpretation for the home state of Grace Kelly:
See also the previous entry,
Barging In.
Update of 7:11 PM EDT:
Barging In, Part II is on
Turner Movie Classics at 8 PM EDT.
“Some fearless outside referee
had to barge in and try to
adjudicate the culture wars….”
— Frank Rich in
today’s New York Times
On this date 100 years ago,
Greta Garbo was born.
For Frank Rich,
who wrote a review
of a new novel,
On Beauty
For George Johnson,
who wrote…
“Look deeply enough,
he suggests,
and the randomness
will turn out to be
complexity in disguise -
‘hidden causality,’
the Buddha’s smile.
There you have it….”
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