[FRIAM] Direct conversation - 1st vs 3rd person

[Victoria Hughes]

Good book recommendations, I will investigate as well.
Thanks, Owen- Tory

On Jul 2, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Steve Smith wrote:

> Owen Densmore wrote:
>>
>> Thank you Nick, good explanation.  And Steve -- we actually started  
>> down this road on the thermodynamic formulation of ABM .. Guerin- 
>> Speak .. with some success.
>>
>> Much more generally: There is a rift between the formal and  
>> philosophic that I have a partial solution for.  Both are VSI (Very  
>> Short Introduction) books.
>>   http://www.amazon.com/dp/0192853619/
>>   http://www.amazon.com/dp/0192854119/
>>
>> The first is the Mathematics VSI.  It is written by Timothy Gowers  
>> and really does get the reader into the mind of mathematics folks.   
>> Gowers is a Fields Medalist -- the Nobel for math.  And he is  
>> driven by a Wittgenstein understanding of abstraction.  Gowers'  
>> discussion of a 5th dimensional cube is a wonderful example. He  
>> constantly comes back to the type of abstraction he prefers: very  
>> clean and focused on the properties under discussion.
>>
>> The second is the Wittgenstein VSI, to bind Gowers' math with his  
>> inspiration, Wittgenstein.  I've not finished this one (I've got a  
>> digital version and have just sent for the paper one) but there is  
>> hope we might actually find a connection between the more  
>> philosophical discussions and a formalism for them.
>>
>> I'd be very interested in this endeavor.
> Count me in... I'll go dust off my  Witty Wittgenstein and take a  
> Gander at Gowers .
>
> I am a *total* sucker for formalisms about interesting things even  
> though all of my philosophy professors, and at least one (each) of  
> my math/physics professors beat me about the head and shoulder's  
> with Godel (and others) to try to break me of that bad habit.
>
> Let's check back in after we (myself and anyone else) has done some  
> (more) homework...
>
> - Sieve
>
>
>
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