Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Art, Religion, Science

I have been thinking about the differences and similarities between science, art, and religion, for a long time, and I am still not quite there, but I think it is safe to say that all three are in search of answers, albeit of very different types. Science searches for general, hopefully objective truths in the form of verifiable facts of the external world. Art does something similar, but its gaze is mostly inward (our perception of and reaction to the world around us), and it revels in individual, subjective answers. Religion could perhaps be seen as an intermediate between the two, and to a certain extent as a precursor of both.

There are heavier and lighter versions of each (true science vs. popular science, avant-garde art vs. retro), and each have a "pseudo"-variant, characterized a high percentage of false or incorrect answers, less rigorous methodology, and often by ulterior motives that are absent from the more serious variants (see also my entry Keeping an open mind). Pseudo-science includes astrology, pseudo-religion sects, and pseudo-art is art that expresses fake or simulated feelings (e.g. in poetry).

And all three have creative and less creative variants.True science and art are still very creative, and proactively so, applied science and craftsmanship much less so. Religion was very innovative for a long time, is mostly reactive these days, responding to societal changes, but not anticipating them, and certainly not driving them, although a case could be made that new age spirituality is taking the place of traditional organized religions.

And last but not least, all three can be corrupted by allowing money to play too big a role ...

There are even hybrids between the three, but I will leave that for another day.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Looking out for number one (2)


Some time ago, I wrote about the number three. And I have mentioned the number two many times already, mostly in connection with opposites (see Venus and Mars), opposing pairs (see alliterating antonyms) and the dialectic method. But of all the numbers in the universe, none is as important as the number one.

It starts with a perfectly shaped letter, be it circular (the two-dimensional abstraction of the sphere, which the ancient Greeks considered the perfect shape) or ovoid (the egg, the beginning of life). It sounds round, and is homonymous to "won"; it calls up simplicity, wholeness, unity ... you find it in all kinds of expressions, like "the one and only" (a bit strange, if you think about it, "only" being a contraction of one + like), "I, for one", "one in a million", etc. etc. (see als http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/a-23-2006-06-14-voa2-83129842/126143.html for more).

But one is also the loneliest number.
Here is Aimee Mann's version of Harry Nilsson's song "One"


which, much earlier, was also a hit for Three Dog Night:


P.S. I had to rename this entry, because I had already used the same title for something completely different.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Occam's razor blades

When I was young, a razor was a razor. Nowadays, each razor has at least four blades. The double blade dates back to the 1970s, and the triple blade to the 1990s, approximately, and the four- and five blade variants did not take long to follow. The wikipedia entry on this refers to how this was parodied, among others in 1975 on Saturday Night Live.

To me, it is an example of how free market competition can go wrong: in their struggle to maintain or increase their market dominance, Schick/Wilkinson and Gillette are acting like jealous siblings who are willing do just about anything, however silly, to win the love of the consumer.

Personally, I would love to see a company that goes back to basics, and re-introduces the single blade safety blade. Not very realistic, I know, but still ... and if it ever happens, I would like to suggest that it be called Occam's razor blades, in honor of Occam's razor, which is generally (although not completely correctly) paraphrased as "the simplest answer is usually the correct one".

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Typhoid Mary and the Spanish banking crisis

There is an episode of a BBC series called Filthy Cities about New York which - in between a whole series of rather ghastly stories and images from its murky past - quickly retells the story of a cook called Mary who - being immune to typhoid fever and not prone to washing her hands after sanitary (or in her case unsanitary) stops - succeeds in killing off quite a few of her clients by presenting them with Salmonella-enterica infected food. The authorities identified her as the cause of the illness and threw her in jail, but at some point let her go free when she promised not to do it again. A few years later, the woman we now know as "Typhoid Mary" was back in the kitchen, killing even more people. My gut reaction was probably the same as that of most people: indignation. How could she?!? Didn't she care?

I stored this little factoid away as a draft blog entry, and didn't really know what to do with it until I saw  the president of the Board of Directors of two large Spanish banks answer questions about the financial crisis during a public inquiry. Both were asked the big question: how could this have happened? One answered that at the time the most important decisions were taken, no one really had an inkling of the possible problems and of the fact that they were systemic, not incidental, and that this was at least partially due to the fact that no one wanted to see the warning signs. He was also very careful not to point the finger of blame at any specific person or group. The other only seemed concerned with blaming others for the failure, and showed no indication of remorse or of caring for the people who were now paying for the mistakes made.

I agree that we should try to avoid pointing the finger at any specific person or group, but I can't help thinking that things would be a lot better if we had more people who do care and do their best, and get rid of the Typhoid Marys of the finance world.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Copyright and birth control


Thought for the day: copying documents, music, films, etc. is like sexual reproduction, and placing restrictions on copying (copyright) is like birth control. Birth control is a logical and necessary reaction to overpopulation, but is it really necessary to restrict creative expression?

More on this soon.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Happiness and expectations

If there is one thing that increases happiness (or makes life less miserable), it is having realistic expectations. This applies in many different ways. A few examples.
  • Unpleasant things happen all the time, but they are much less unpleasant if you take for granted that they will occur (or if you see them as opportunities to sharpen your claws).
  • People - including your own children, and certainly your partner - hardly ever change as much as you might want. You might be able to get them to change certain aspects of their behavior, and you can of course instill certain values in your children, but their character is theirs, and whatever you achieve will be within the limits of that character.
  • Information is often imprecise or irrelevant and sometimes incorrect or completely wrong. Depending on the "size" of your question, you can spend anywhere between a few seconds to a whole lifetime in finding the answer.
  • As a general rule, things (cars, computers, cameras, clothes, etc. etc.) last less than you would like. Having a realistic idea of how long they tend to last would diminish the irritation. 
  • For many medical conditions - and especially somewhat vague problems like recurrent back pain or headaches - there are no quick fixes, and sometimes the solutions you finally find, after trying all kinds of different (traditional or alternative) options, are only partial. 
  • Politicians have much less control over a country's economy than most people (including the politicians themselves) think;
  • Last but not least: having a realistic idea of your own abilities and of how much time and effort it can take to achieve something can help avoid a lot of frustration.
Of course, this is just the beginning: the next step is quantitative information, e.g. how much unpleasantness to expect, how much change you can achieve, how long it will take to obtain certain information, etc. An example of this would be: a book with one good idea is a good investment, a book with two or three is a very good investment, and a book with even more good ideas is a great book.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence Day! Yeah!

Today is the fourth of July - the day that U.S. citizens celebrate their independence (1776).

As a child, growing up in New York State, I remember the parades, marching bands, big outdoor parties and fireworks. What I didn't know at the time what that the Fourth of July was also the date that
slavery was abolished in New York State (51 years later, in 1827). And that in turn got me thinking about other kinds of independence, like women's rights, only to end up with a completely unexpected idea: wouldn't it be nice to have an international independence day?

If so, it should be truly international, in the sense of celebrating independence as an abstract value, and not liberation from occupation, as is the case for most countries. And with a little bit of luck, it would also strike a chord in countries that are not really independent yet, but would like to be ...

The only practical problem with this is the date: it should not coincide with any other major holiday (and especially not with a national independence day) anywhere. The logical solution would be the 29th of February, but that would make it too infrequent. The 8th of July might be a good one, the only disadvantage being that it is also Gay Pride Day in the Netherlands (see the Earth Calendar for this or any other date, and if so do, note how many independence, national, liberation or emancipation days there already are!).

So ... suggestions welcome!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Down with high heels!

The other day I got into an "interesting" discussion about high heels. I was just recovering from a flu that had kept me bedridden for two full days, had had a glass of wine, and pronounced a view that I still stand by, but that I might have worded slightly differently, had I been more aware of the fact that everyone within earshot was female.

What I said was that the main purpose high heels was to tilt the hips in such a way as to suggest enhanced fertility. Five pairs of female eyes, looking at me like I am from an alien planet (and everyone knows what you do with aliens - you either kill them outright, or you lock them up in goverment facilities and stick them with probes and stuff). How could I say such a thing?! Obviously, we only wear high heels to look good, and by extension to feel good, they seemed to be saying. And that's our decision, and none of your business.

Some quick backpedalling on my part: I am not suggesting that everyone does this on purpose or consciously, I explain, it is just that this is the subliminal message to men, and it is better to be aware of that message. It is a bit like the origin of certain words: you are not always aware of where a word comes from, but it can be good to know this, because a word's roots can still influence what that word means to other people.

I can just hear certain people protesting that they can use words any way they like, irrespective of their roots, and of course that happens all the time, which is why different words mean different things to different people. To a certain extent, it is a natural, healthy process. But that differences in perceived meaning should not be so big as to become a major obstacle to communication: that would defeat the point of having words. And the point or main purpose of footwear, even in this day and age, is still to protect the feet, which means you cannot but wonder at the wisdom of wearing high heels on a regular basis (I'm sure doctors, osteopaths and podologists could argue the case against do so much more convincingly them me, so I will leave that to them).  All other purposes - status, fashion, establishing your identity within a group, attracting a potential mate, etc. - come second, as far as I am concerned.

I know I am fighting a lost cause. 100 years ago, high heels, lipstick, eye shadow and such was still quite special; nowadays many women in Western societies use them on a daily basis, just to get a job (and keep it), or to fit in the neighbourhood. But you can always hope that sanity will win out in the long run ...


Monday, July 2, 2012

There is a reason for everything, and everything has a reason

Thought for today:

If we assume that everything in the living world - anatomical structures, emotions, beliefs, taboos, religion, the little rubber rings on headphone jacks, soapbox philosophers and street preachers - exists for a reason, then we should also assume that opposites - male and female, change and statsis, the political left and right, science and myth/religion, the forest and the trees (= the specific and the abstract), cooperation and competition - also exist for a reason.

And if so, it is very likely that we need both.

I find that idea somehow comforting.
(Which is probably the reason I had that idea in the first place.)