Trip day 6
Didn't make it to Trance Energy last night because of sore feet. Snowing today in Utrecht, very quiet day compared to yesterday. Little is open beside the fast food joints and the movie theatres.
Taking some time to read An Introduction to General Sytems Thinking, really timely subjects for where I currently stand intellectually. The book draws in examples from many different disciplines, quotes from the most unexpected sources, even Hans Selye. Basically the book gives rules for thinking about systems of all sorts, the antithesis for hyperspecialization in academic disciplines. Weinberg points to some of the current scientific paradigm's shortcomings and how problems of medium numbers can't be solved with experimentation or statistics. That is to say, due to computational contraints systems with n-number (large numbers) of objects will have an exponential number of interactions that can't be modelled with equations because the calculations are just too taxing. Statistics use macro-data to describe individual units (small numbers), meaning individuals actually aren't the unit of study but rather the average of groups.
The convincing example Weinberg gives immediately is that of Newton. Newton described the movement of planetary objects. Instead of considering the unique relationships between all the planets with each other and the sun (even just considering the single variable of gravity leads to a mountain of equations), he reduced the necessary calculations by logically concluding the most important relationship for calculating a planet's trajectory is its gravitational relationship with the sun (seems obvious now, but only because of its elegance provided by Newton).
Also discussed are many philisophical considerations I've been pondering, including the role of observer-object interaction and reality (perception). The other book I brought on the trip is The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley where he considers perception and reality through a drug induced change in perception. Of course I've learned that the map is not really the territory (Dr. John Harris lead some interesting lectures on the topic in Abnormal Psych at UPEI, take anything this man teaches), but Huxley really makes you think about it. Ahhhh, is that really a tree? What is a tree? Does that shade of green look like the same shade of green I see through someone else's eyes? Whatever, we just live in the Matrix.
Taking some time to read An Introduction to General Sytems Thinking, really timely subjects for where I currently stand intellectually. The book draws in examples from many different disciplines, quotes from the most unexpected sources, even Hans Selye. Basically the book gives rules for thinking about systems of all sorts, the antithesis for hyperspecialization in academic disciplines. Weinberg points to some of the current scientific paradigm's shortcomings and how problems of medium numbers can't be solved with experimentation or statistics. That is to say, due to computational contraints systems with n-number (large numbers) of objects will have an exponential number of interactions that can't be modelled with equations because the calculations are just too taxing. Statistics use macro-data to describe individual units (small numbers), meaning individuals actually aren't the unit of study but rather the average of groups.
The convincing example Weinberg gives immediately is that of Newton. Newton described the movement of planetary objects. Instead of considering the unique relationships between all the planets with each other and the sun (even just considering the single variable of gravity leads to a mountain of equations), he reduced the necessary calculations by logically concluding the most important relationship for calculating a planet's trajectory is its gravitational relationship with the sun (seems obvious now, but only because of its elegance provided by Newton).
Also discussed are many philisophical considerations I've been pondering, including the role of observer-object interaction and reality (perception). The other book I brought on the trip is The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley where he considers perception and reality through a drug induced change in perception. Of course I've learned that the map is not really the territory (Dr. John Harris lead some interesting lectures on the topic in Abnormal Psych at UPEI, take anything this man teaches), but Huxley really makes you think about it. Ahhhh, is that really a tree? What is a tree? Does that shade of green look like the same shade of green I see through someone else's eyes? Whatever, we just live in the Matrix.
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