Edward Frenkel Flashcards
Galileo: book of nature is written in …
The language of mathematics
Difference math and physics
Physics about this world. Math about any mathematical possible universe.
Physics get to play with real machines and see results, math is a abstract, mental exercise, where points are proven by using the rules of logic.
Math is the underlying language of physics
Book of Max Tegmark
Our mathematical universe (ultimate nature of reality)
Soren Kierkegaard: a thinker without paradox …
Is like a lover without passion
Paradox explanation
Projecting a bottle on the table and on the wall, both give a different perspective. Both are right(?)
Heisenberg about quantum mechanics. Experiment example
What we observe is not reality itself, but reality subjected to our method of questioning
46:33 what results we will see depends on how we set up an experiment. E.g. the electrons through two splits experiment (double split experiment)
“There is no free will”
Why? We are all just some biljart balls, where is the free will.
This has been debunked by quantum mechanics
Scientific discoveries
Discoveries are not due to more and more data and suddenly something new is found out. But rather felt like a leap, a jump.
Albert Einstein: most fascinating in the world is the mystery. He himself said imagination is just as important, because knowledge is limited
Is math invented or discovered?
Nobody really know s
Age of Pisces vs. Age of Aquarius
2000 year cycle, now entering into Aquarius. More harmonious
Pythagoreanism
Seeing the divine in numbers.
Pythagoras mostly remembers from the theory of the right triangles
Also from the system of musical tuning
Sun and planets were not revolving around the earth. The first ones to claim this. But around a central fire (hearth). Copernicus have credits to pythagoreans as being his predecessors. Enormous departure from the dogma, knowledge of the era that the earth was in the center. How did they find out? Probably due to study of the movement of celestial bodies (music of the spheres, universe is this infinite symphony, where all beings (humans, animals, celestial bodies like earth) were moving in harmony, like different notes or instruments in a symphony).
What makes Edward most passionate? Nietzsche
Balance.
Book from N in 19th century “the birth of tragedy”. Theory of two sides of a human:
1 god of Apollo, left brain: analyzing, conceptualizing etc
2 god Dionysus, right side: intuition, imagination, love. Also the god of wine, so Dionysus is also about joy and laughter.
The purpose of a human life is to find balance.
Edward: Apollo is math and Dionysus is love, hence his book Love&Math
Purpose of movies
How to express ourselves, teach us how to feel
Fall in love with AI system?
For some. There is no answer, cause this is where subjective is paramount.
Has been anticipated by artists: movie Her (fall in love with AI, feel betrayed). And Bladerunner (AI understands betrayal, really focused on one human being ).
Her: part of reason he fell in love was perhaps the absent of the fear of the AI system of abandoning him. But also prevented him from looking for a real life relationship
Where is progress, creativity, real connection
Strife nowadays is where?
Passionate about something, child like, even if it’s against all dogma’s
Not seeing a person, caught up in conceptual bubble. Not refine the bubble, but break out of it, is the way out. With child like passion, following goose bumps.
Failure is ok, but it sets us up for that moment of bliss, when we succeed
