(from) Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

•February 7, 2008 • Leave a Comment

3433388-lg.jpg(1) The world is all that is the case.

(1.1) The world is the totality of facts, not things.

(1.11) The world is determined by the facts, and by their being all facts.

(1.12) For the totality of facts determines what is the case, and also whatever is not the case.

(1.13) The facts in logical space are the world. 

(1.2) The world divides into facts.

(1.21) Each item can be the case or not the case while everything else remains the same.

(2) What is the case—a fact—is the existence of state of affairs.

(2.01) A state of affairs (a state of things) is a combination of objects (things).

(2.011) It is essential to things that they should be possible constituents of state of affairs.

(2.012) In logic nothing is accidental: if a thing can occur in a state of affairs, the possibility of the state of afairs must be written into the thing itself.

(Ludwig Wittgenstein: Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 1921

Diurnation

•February 5, 2008 • Leave a Comment

(dy-uhr-NAY-shuhn) noun

The habit of sleeping or being dormant during the day.

“Znanost”—an awarded essay, I was told

•January 31, 2008 • 1 Comment

2512011-lg.jpgZnanost? Znanstvenik? Znanstveno? Neznanstveno? Znano? Neznano? Zakaj? Kje je meja znanosti? Že na prvi pogled je odgovor na vprašanje nedvoumen: znanost je z naravnim in fizičnim svetom omejeno vedenje zasnovano na dejstvih*. Slednja utemeljitev je zgolj opis konvencionalne** znanosti – frfotajoče kepe razuma, ki se giblje le v lastnem okolju tvarne otipljivosti. Napredek znanosti se pa zgodi le v lapsusu*** za trenutek zanihanega razuma, torej v trenutku neustrašnega poguma, ki meji na misticizem in je celo metafizičen, saj se vsako odkritje v prvi minuti zavedanja povzpne nad fizično raven dojemanja. Kaj je torej namen tega pisanja? Ravno omenjene meje naravnega in fizičnega nameravam postaviti na vprašljivo raven pojmovanja današnje znanosti. Na svoji poti prvega pogovora z znanstvenikom se bom seznanil z nekaterimi nesmrtnimi Imeni, nekaj malega celo z znanstveniki.Človečanstvo je že od nekdaj poznalo vrsto velikih znanstvenikov, katerih imena in odkritja so znana milijontim ljudem – Galileo Galilei in teleskop, Alexander Graham Bell in telefon, Isaac Newton in njegova odkritja v fiziki. Veliko znanstvenih odkritij je bilo poimenovanih po odkritelju in nekatera so bila preprosto pripisana odkritelju neposredno, na primer »Newtontonovi zakoni fizike«. Znanstveniki (kakorkoli že) preučujejo oziroma stremijo k razumevanju naravnih zakonov, ki so se začela dolgo od tega – v »začetku fizičnega časa«. »Stvarjenje« (če hočete!) je zagnalo naravo kot urejen dogodek, zasnovan na znansvenih načelih, ki jih je nekdo/nekaj/nič (?) uveljavilo, zahtevalo, odločilo vnaprej (?). Prisotnost stvarjenja zahteva bitje stvarnika in bitje naravnih zakonov zahteva bitje stvarnika naravnih zakonov. Koliko si upamo priznati, torej?Znanost temelji na dejstvih. Torej, bralec, podajam dejstvo: zemlja je bila ustvarjena v dovršene pogoje za bivanje življenja. Znanstveniki se enoglasno strinjajo, da v primeru malenkostnega nihanja v temperaturi okolja, oddaljenosti od sonca, sestavi zraka /…/ življenje nikakor ne bi bilo možno. Naključje, se zdi.

Držimo se dejstev. Obrnimo se na sistem, ki se zdi dovršen (človeškemu razumu) in univerzalen (obstoju) – matematika. Italijanski matematik (znanstvenik, torej), Leonardo Pisano, Filius Bonacci, bolje poznan kot Fibonacci je že v dvanajstem stoletju razvil sistem, zaporedje, danes poznano kot fibonaccijeva sekvenca****. Številke so zaporedje seštevkov, ki pa se z delitvijo zadnjih dveh številk vedno bolj približuje konstanti Φ (fi)*****. Tukaj naključja postanejo (naključno?) zabavna: fi – najlepša številka v vesolju, znana tudi kot zlazi rez ali božja proporca. Razmerje med spiralami v oklepu nautilusa je ravno zlati rez, prav tako je razmerje med polovično stranico in višino piramide v Gazi, najdemo ga tudi v pravilnem petkotniku, kjer sekajoče diagonale postavljajo razmerje ravno 1:Φ. Ravno ta konstanta naj bi bila osnova za načrtovanje trikotnika in zanimivo je, da je ravno petkotnik (pentagram ali zvezda) poganski znak božanstva. Razmerje med dolžino celotne roke in dolžino od komolca do konice prstov, kot tudi razmerje med dolžino celotne noge in dolžino od kolena do pete je fi. Ravno to razmerje je Leonardo da Vinci uporabil v svojem vitruvijanskem človeku – simbolu humanizma – dobe začetka človeka in človekove znanosti. Zlati rez lahko pravzaprav najdemo povsod. Držali smo se dejstev, matematike in empirije in prišli do naključja, številke, ki veže vsa živa bitja skupaj, kot gradbeni element življenja. Zlati rez je neizpodbiten dokaz nedokazljivega stika razumljivega in nedoumljivega. Naključje, se zdi.

Lahko se sklicujemo na Boga, naravo (razlika?) ali (najpogosteje!) naklučje. Večina znanstvenikov preprosto (in po klišeju) a priori zanika obstoj Boga. Pa vendar le nekaj (največjih?) umov na svetu obstoja Boga nikakor ni zanikala. Eden takšnih Velikanov je bil nedvomno Albert Einstein: »Bog ne meče kocke z vesoljem.«. Začetnik kvantne fizike se ni dal zmesti: »Znanost brez vere je hroma, vera brez znanosti slepa.«

Po peščici omenjenih znanstvenikov se le vrnimo na vero in Boga; ko se je renesančna misel sublimno (s humanizmom) razvila v ustroj zanikanja obstoja Boga. Misel o neobstoječem Bogu je nesmrtna in povsem prežemajoča (še posebaj?) v sedanjosti. Pa vendar je že sam spor o obstoju Boga nesmiselen. Friedrich Nietzsche je bil enostaven: »Bog je umrl!«. Kako? Že stoletja se trudijo dokazati, da Bog ne obstaja; sama misel se je že na otip približala cilju, potem pa je nekdo (tako napreden kot je bil Nietzsche) izjalovil vse to, z mislijo, da je Bog umrl. Živel torej – in umrl. Ni se motil. Množična beda z napadi gorečnežev, pred pritiskom na sprožilec vpijoč, da to delajo v Božjem imenu, je sam uboj Boga. Sami smo ga ubili. Z nesmislom in naposled z znanostjo. Pogreb Boga, kateremu je predsedovala znanost, je bila Hirošima in Nagasaki. Oskrunjenje Božjega groba se nam približuje, morda smo že priča pripravam.

Znanost je torej čas. Le vbok s časom je znanosti uspelo zažareti v vsem svojem lesku bede pa vendar tudi zmagoslavja: Flemingova zamisel o penicilinu se je kmalu prerodila v jedrsko (berite: uničevalno) fiziko. Naključja narave (in njenih zakonov) je znanost zameglila in zanemarila. Lahko se polotimo astronomije, biologije, kemije, fizike, česar koli, da pridemo do bistva, da je znanost zgolj orodje samodefinicije človeka, je pojem samoutemeljevanja in smisel odraščanja naše vrste. Je oris (pa čeprav krvav oris!) enkratnosti našega bitja. Je ponovno črtanje (pa čeprav strašansko črtanje!) zemljevida človeštva. Je naše merjenje z večnostjo. Morda bo pa tisti stari (že zdavnaj umrli) Bog z ustrojem nove znanosti naposled vstal od mrtvih.

MM
May 2006

Steve’s English To-Do List

•January 7, 2008 • Leave a Comment

(to be ticked as appropriate)

Tea & Crumpets

_ Cucumber Sandwich

Consume & Use Contextually “Vimto”

Fish & Chips

_ English Breakfast

_ Yorkshire Pudding

Scones

Cornish Pasty

Eccles Cake

Afternoon Nap

Sunday Roast

Drink Excessively

_ Be even more Polite

_ Wear a Bowler Hat

_ Play Bowls

_ Be a Football Hooligan

Queue

_ Read Dailymail

_ Sing the National Anthem Pissed

_ Fox Hunt

_ Play Cricket

Eat Percy Pigs

_ Go to a Theme Park

_ Go on a Picnic

Visit Stonehenge & Roman Baths

_ Visit Norwich Castle &

+ Blicking Hall (English Country House)

+ Holkham Beach

+ Followed by Eating a Croner Crab

Drink Real Ale

(Approved by the House Senate)
(1st ed. released in mid-Oct)

Alveolar Lateral Fricatives & The Christmas Spirit

•December 25, 2007 • Leave a Comment

If you’d only known how hard I work: all those hours spent tihnking on how usefully my time could be / have been spent. This, however, is not the age too inclined to my type of labour. My type of labour is too lateral for this time (of year?) . . .

Speaking of laterality and time-ness of the year, I should be working on my phonetics and improving my Christmas Spirit. I have, afterall, seen two (even three!) Christmas-Spirit-Films, today. The greatest shock to my Christmas being is that I was all along highly convinced that it is the 23rd and not the 24th as it turned out to be. I was shockingly-impressed how I tried to postpone the Day we have been “endowed?” with. I seem to have skipped the 23rd. I am a tourist in my home town, after all. A mere tourist.

I shall go now & stare at the lateral fricatives I care for so much …

Cordially & Christmas-wishfully,

Your Author

Edinburgh

•December 17, 2007 • Leave a Comment

One of those rare moments have come for me to get ahold of my long beard & propose to you: “I say, the Scottish have done well …” Edinburgh withholds great history (and a German market!) to impress. Thank you, Nancy, for coming along!

A Letter Concerning Two Taps: Renaissance

•October 28, 2007 • 1 Comment

‘T seems fresh and novel from a distance. And that is exactly what it is: novel&fresh. ‘T also appears to be a matter of consciously accepting a new birth—re-naissance. That is what I’m doing—creating a new social and academic hologram for me to live, incorporate and animate in.

Though, I probably have no reader save my alternating (and hence alternative) ego, I do apologise for not having written for a wide gap of time. The reason, for doing so, is completely reasonable: and bit tragic. The newly-acquired environment has stunned me to the bone that I was not that able to write anything. An algorithm* occurred: a system of two options. (*I love algorithms.) Firstly, (1) I could have endowed you with loads of post on how stunning and new it all seems. Secondly (2): I could have (and have done so!) decided to accept it numbly and silently. Time not-allowing (darn Cronos, once again) I have not dropped a line up to now. Hence, the Chomskyan model of economy (of derivation) seem apt, too. Should the rest of my psyche thaw and recover, more—and in a more frequentorder— may come to appear.

Cordially

M. M.
(a.k.a Mr Stephen Lotion)

 

A Letter Concerning Fun: Solely Evidentiary Support

•October 1, 2007 • Leave a Comment

Why the long* face?
(*other dimensions apply)

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Chinese: Five Minutes a Day!

•September 17, 2007 • 4 Comments

Something I found on the pages of the Sinology Dept. of the Ljubljana University. I know I laughed!

Are you harboring a fugitive Hu Yu Hai Ding
Small Horse Tai Ni Po Ni
Your price is too high No Bai Dam Ting
Did you go to the beach Wai Yu Sou Tan
I think you need a facelift Qin Tu Fat
Has your flight been delayed? Hao Long Wei Ting?
That was an unauthorized execution Lin Qing
Tow-away zone No Pa King
I got this for free Ai No Pei
I don’t deserve the death penalty Wai Hang Mi
Please, stay a while longer Wai Gou Nao
He’s cleaning his automobile Wa Xing Ka
That’s not right Sun Ting Wong
Stupid Fellow Dum Gai
Our meeting is scheduled for next week Wai Yu Kam Nao
Staying out of sight Lei Ying Lou
Your body odor is offensive Yu Si Ting Ki Pu
See me ASAP Kang Hia Nao
I thought you were on a diet Wai Yu Mun Qing?
I bumped into a coffee table Ai Bang Mai Ni
Are You deaf? Wai Yu No Hia Mi?
I sent you an e-mail. Mai Ling Yu
I will make things my way. Ai du mai ou ting
Useful material in battles Gun Pao De
Not very good Lao Zi
A great achievement of the American space program Mun Lan Ding
A bashful person Shai Gai
A premature infant Tai Ni Bei Bi
Serving drinks to people Ten Ding Ba
There is no reason to raise your voice Wai Yu Shao Ting

Success—

•August 16, 2007 • 1 Comment

I have successfully gained entry to The University of York’s Department of English & Related Literature and Department of Language & Linguistic Science to pursuit my first degree. I am just thrilled to be let on-board of one of Britain’s Best Universities …

 

The harsh reality perseveres, nonetheless—“get ready to leave home & travel a thousand miles across Europe.”

 

I congratulate myself, once again.

 

Cheers!