natural theology

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vol VII: Notes

1999

Notes

[Sunday 27 June 1999 - Saturday 3 July 1999]

[Notebook BOOK 4/5/94, DB 50]

Sunday 27 June 1999

[page 385]

. . .

Deutsch has mapped quantum mechanics onto Turing machine. Deutsch Introduce logical confinement (= digitization) via EPR paradox (cf d'Espagnat Scientific American 11/79 p 128, 241:5) d'Espagnat

Move from there to Cantor Space.

A 1 or 2D object entering a 3D space must have uncertainty related to it because 1 or 2 Ds cannot carry enough information to fully determine itself in the bigger space. So with spin. It is essentially 1D with a spectrum {up, down} which will be somewhat random when measured along axes in 3D.

'A natural network model of agent intellect.'

More information is needed to define a particle than can be carried in a field because a particle is an occupied state whereas a field is by definition formal and unoccupied. The additional information needed to determine the particle is local (and so appears random to the eternal wave function)

[page 386]

The wave function is a deterministic processor of randomly distributed inputs (eg the letters typed into a word processor) and yields an equivalent field of randomly distributed objects - actual input is linked to actual output. But do systems prepared in identical states give identical outputs? No. This is because the bandwidth of the processor is not wide enough to constrain the system beyond h. ℏ is the spacetime [momentum-energy] 'pixel' size of the Universe.

h = joule sec = ML2T-2.T = ML2T-1. So h = L?. ? = MLT-1 = mv = -p.

So length and linear momentum give angular momentum.

Quantum theory without observers, pt 1, Physics Today 3/98 p 42. Goldstein

Observers and measurement helped the founding fathers escape from preconceptions about the

[page 387]

'reality' because the q revolution was changing the perception of reality at a very rapid rate and those thinkers were able to progress fastest whose 'lateralism' was minimally inhibited by historical constraints.

42 'state of any quantum mechanical system is completely specified by its wave function.'

Chaitin: fully compressed data looks random. So the overwhelming entropy of the higher cardinals. Chaitin

Ultimate relativity is the relativity of transfinity. For electrons, transfinite = 2.

Schroedinger: "That [wave function] is an abstract unintuitive mathematical construct is a scruple that almost always surfaces against new aids to thought and carries no great message"

Bohr: 'in quantum mechanics we are not dealing with an arbitrary renunciation of a more detailed analysis of atomic phenomena, but with a recognition that such an analysis is in principle excluded.'

[page 388]

Heisenberg: 'the idea of an objective real world whose smallest parts exist objectively in the same sense as stones or trees exist independently of whether or not we observe them . . . is impossible . . . .

We use observation to get to the particles. They are what interest us, and they are always definite little entities with definite habits.

Wave function = genome. But a rabbit can do a lot of things within the constraints of its genome. The formalism places boundaries on the motion, that is the action.

The quantum mechanical description is abstract so is does not carry all the data. Also it is computable, and much of the Universe is non-recursive, non-computable and incompressibly complex.

Einstein: 'the statistical quantum theory would ... take an approximately analogous position to statistical mechanics within the framework of quantum mechanics' ie

[page 389]

statistics are a way to abstract from a vast body of data.

43 'The Bohr-Einstein debate has already been resolved, and in favour of Einstein.'

44 Without observers? But the Universe is always observing itself, ie it is a network, and each element in the network observes all the others (by receiving data from them)

Decoherent histories DH

'in DH, wavefunctions play only a secondary role as a theoretical ingredient in the formulation of laws governing the evolution of quantum observables by way of probabilities assigned to histories.

Goldstein Part 2 March p 38

38 'The theories I discuss in this final part of the article are completely well defined and hence provide a conclusive refutation of Bohr's impossibility.'

[page 390]

38 Bell 'It makes no sense to ask for the amplitude or phase or whatever of the wave function at a point in ordinary space. It has neither amplitude nor phase nor anything else until a multitude of points in ordinary three space are specified' (space + time?)

39 map wave function onto primitive ontology.

"Bohmian mechanics

The last version of quantum theory without observers that I want to describe agrees completely with orthodox quantum theory in its predictions."

Shadows and Mirrors Liebfried et al, April p 22 [Physics Today] Liebfried et al

In position/momentum phase space, the position wavefunction ψx(x) is a Fourier transformation of the momentum wave function ψp(x)

[page 391]

The countable foundation of the Universe is processing rate. Can we rewrite General relativity in terms of frequencies?

Deutsch The Fabric of Reality

I want to play Thomas to Deutsch's Aristotle?

Science etc seeks out laws of motion, the static publishable data that put boundaries on the behaviour of the particle in question.

PARTICLE = ELEMENT The Universe is a set of particles. A particle is a set of particles, except the first, which is empty.

The empty particle is the initial condition of the Universe.

Very feisty/priestly in his attitudes. Only criticizes to optimize the explanation.

The null geodesics between events are the fundamental linkages in the Universe.

[page 392]

NULL GEODESIC is an example of delocalisation, since all points on it are zero distance apart in the -+++ space. SQUARED LENGTH = 0

Proper time of photon = 0.

Monday 28 June 1999

to SOLVE a problem is to overcome an obstacle to action, ie decrypting a message overcomes an obstacle to reading it.

The action I want to take is to 'save the world' ie optimize its functioning in some way to remove evil in the form of waste, violence, damage to capital etc. In the most general sense 'saving' (conservation) = preservation of useful/beautiful capital.

Solving problems is a pleasure in itself, like reproduction it carries overtones of improved fitness and survival.

[page 393]

Catholicism does very well with the loving father/family metaphor but we want to widen it to loving and permissive parents. In a way I wish to remodel god in the light of my own preferred parenting style.

THEORY = a map of the space containing a problems to make it easier to solve them.

This happens often: The letter is there. The contents are definite. But I hesitate to open it, instead imagining all the things it might say and how I would respond to the,m. This is akin to the staff work used by a nation to deal with visitors. And after all (in this instance) it was merely junk. Rather like gambling. Anticipation.

Tuesday 29 June 1999

The RCC story is flawed in its foundation that we are a fallen race in need of salvation.

The discipline of evolution is the discipline of epistemology. What is true is what is,

page [394]

and evolutionary process judges what is to survive. This is true of concepts.

The question of scientific fraud raises matters of scientific believe. What is good science?

The point of prayer is to say things over and over to oneself to become habituated to them' Theological ecology: If I want to be a theologian, I have to move into the field and capture a niche, that is a LIVING

I keep coming back to the same thing: that in some way I was so set back by the church that I have had to travel to the ends of logic and biology to try to get my self esteem back. I am only a flawed being insofar as I was flawed by (relative to?) my procrustean environment.

To overcome this is the feeling of being saved, of being secure in the knowledge that I

[page 395]

am not a flawed being despite appearances and that the theory of original sin ...

Knowing that I am right is a powerful feeling, the sort of thing I suppose that gets politicians going.

Luther's reformation was a failure in that it shattered the church rather than reforming it, and thee is therefore a delicate political problem in reconciling the warring parties that rise from this.

Christian doctrine is the 'constitutional fiction' that underlies the political structure of churches.

Issues in Ecumenism: The constitutional history of the RCC and Church of England,

Only LOCAL THEORY = HUMAN RIGHTS + DEMOCRACY can be trusted.

ABSOLUTE POWER = ABSOLUTE GENTLENESS measure(h bar).

The ship of state must be guided by the

[page 396]

soundest known principles, about which there can be a lot of argument.

Fides quaerens intellectum (Augustine)

Politics as based on faith, which is an animal imprinting quality.

One can imagine no more extreme an imprinting experience on a child that a war, nor, on the other hand, the imprinting of a child born into a prosperous community during the age of evolutionary adaptation.

FAITH is the DATA OF THEOLOGY

So the MA could be about evolutionary psychology and the era of evolutionary adaptedness.

Wednesday 30 June 1999

Perhaps my flirtation with the ACU is coming to an end. The Oath of Bad Brown Bill did it. I promised myself to publish in a peer reviewed journal before I went public,

[page 397]

and the university trip was the way to do that. But before the definitive publication comes the gossip and the back channel and I think that that is what the net is for. So I want to put my laboratory on the net and invite collaborators from near and far.

Supplementary material

Its also about how do you spread the word most effectively, and that requires the nucleating effect of communication. The university is altogether too parochial. Prefer the electronic to the physical, all that petrol, heating etc.

The decision is for monastic peace and going on with the job. . . .

BIOLOGY; era of evolutionary adaptation.

Stick to the geodesic. The proof of something seems closer now. The fundamental theorem against fascism. MINIMIZE ACTION/MAXIMISE

[page 398]

JOY

The basic reason is that my personal relaxation and pleasure (and support of the local community) is best concentrated here. The better course would be to buy this property, but first make the money. Donations and grants.

Theology differs from science in that it relies more on faith and less on observation. Faith and social downloading.

RESPECT FOR THE ELEMENT. A stable set cannot overstress its elements. There must be flexibility, load sharing, and plenty of headroom for error correction. Transfinite network is my baby.

tnrp is a study in genetics, ie the control of complex dynamic systems by fixed strings of data. The body is an infinity of Turing machines all sharing the basic machine definition of the code.

I wish to appear on the net as an individual, not as an organization. An individual relates

[page 399]

to individuals, since this is a two way link.

The net has opened to me more than enough resources

tnrp aims to be a genotype for peace ie a peace program. We hope people will pay for peace. This has to be the model - an idea as a potential drawing toward itself the resources to become embodied and operational eg computer virus.

Your roots explain who you are.

The new name for Jesus is network: Wherever two of you are gathered together in my name, I am with you.

Here we face the miracle of information transmission, because we know that the ideas encoded in these words are further encoded into packets of digital data navigating their way through the network.

ECUMENISM AND META RELIGION.

[page 400]

We know that all religions are transformations of the human state, and thee are a countable number of human states in

Every assertion also says its opposite P and not P.

U = P and not P. This is the essential state of reality.

LOGICAL CONFINEMENT - \{U | P is a U implies not P is a U\}

We begin with the null Universe, in which neither P nor not P exist. This is the undivided whole. But if this is the whole, then we are inside it, so in some sense it is not undivided. How do we account for the phenomenology of our own existence?

We begin with the concept of local consistency which we interpret as being inside a region of consistency, that is a region in which not(P and not P)

I exist, therefore I am part of God.

[page 401]

STOP

Next book: Removing the political power of institutions.

Evolution selects the current structure of the whole ie HISTORY -> PRESENT.

In some sense all history is contained in the present.

Thursday 1 July 1999

[NEWBOOK 1 JULY 1999]

[page 3]

. . .

Musts = constraints on the path to a goal, understood from a model of the path.

Love (WRT the task undertaken) is scale.

Friday 2 July 1999
Saturday 3 July 1999

 

Copyright:

You may copy this material freely provided only that you quote fairly and provide a link (or reference) to your source.


Further reading

Books

Click on the "Amazon" link below each book entry to see details of a book (and possibly buy it!)

Christie, Agatha, Destination Unknown, Collins for the Crime Club; Greenway edition 1977 Amazon editorial review: 'When a number of leading scientists disappear, concern grows within the intelligence services. Are they being kidnapped? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? One woman appears to hold the key to the mystery. But she is found dead.' 
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Christie, Agatha, Ordeal by Innocence, Bantam Books 1987 Amazon book description: 'Book Description Mrs. Argyle, benevolent tyrant and mother of five, is murdered with a poker. Her son Jacko is convicted of the crime but dies in prison. Two years later, Dr. Arthur Calgary comes forward to clear Jacko, but the Argyle family is not pleased. If Jacko didn’t commit the crime, who did? Suspense mounts as the family realizes that exonerating Jacko means fingering one of them.' 
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Deighton, Len, Hope, HarperCollins Publishers 1996 From Publishers Weekly: Veteran British spy Bernard Samson returns to fight further Cold War battles in this deceptively easygoing sequel to Faith (and prequel to Charity), set in 1987. ... Deighton's carefully crafted but seemingly nonchalant narration: droll, almost deadpan fits perfectly the character of Samson, a perceptive but closed-mouthed gent who is seemingly unimpressed by events like the sudden appearance of a dead body in his ex-mistress's bedroom or the bizarre theft of a severed hand. Exciting moments are handled casually, while causal conversations are given the detail expected of important ones, resulting in a version of reality that is disjointed and emotionally distanced, as a master spy's take on things may very well be. Deighton gives readers unfamiliar with Samson's troubled life plenty of background information, so newcomers as well as old series hands should take equal pleasure in this subtly intense offering by perhaps the only author other than le Carre who deserves to be known as "spymaster."' 
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Deutsch, David, The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes - and its Implications, Allen Lane Penguin Press 1997 Jacket: 'Quantum physics, evolution, computation and knowledge - these four strands of scientific theory and philosophy have, until now, remained incomplete explanations of the way the universe works. ... Oxford scholar DD shows how they are so closely intertwined that we cannot properly understand any one of them without reference to the other three. ...' 
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Fowles, John, The Magus, Back Bay Books: Little Brown and Co 2001 Product Description 'At the novels center is Nicholas Urfe, a young Englishman who accepts a teaching position on a remote Greek island. There he befriends a local millionaire, but the friendship soon evolves into a deadly game and Nicholas finds that he must fight not only for his sanity but for his very survival.' 
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Hee, Kim Hyun, The Tears of My Soul, WilliamMorrow Inc 1993 'When Korean Air Lines flight 858 exploded in 1987, killing 115 passengers, international law-enforcement officials immediately started searching for the hardened North Korean terrorists who could have committed such a crime. What they found was Kim Hyun Hee, an idealistic young woman transformed by her country into an obedient killing machine. The Tears of My Soul is her poignant, shocking, and utterly compelling story. 
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Humphreys, Christmas, Buddhism, 1991  
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Jammer, Max, Concepts of Space: The History of Theories of Space in Physics, Dover 1994 Jacket: 'Although the concept of space is of fundamental importance in both physics and philosophy, until the publication of this book, the idea of space had never been treated in terms of its historical development. ... Following an introductory chapter on the concept of space in antiguity, subsequent chapters consider Judeaeo-Christian ideas about space, the emancipation of the space concept from Aristotelianism, Newton's concept of absolute space and the concept of space from the 18th century to the present. ... It is essential reading for philosphers, physicists and mathematicians, but even the nonprofessional reader will find it accessible, for the author has kept the technical language and mathematical details to a minimum.' 
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Jaynes, Julian, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Mariner Books 2000 Jacket: 'At the heart of this book is the revolutionary idea that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but is a learned process brought into being out of an earlier hallucinatory mentality by cataclysm and catastrophe only 3000 years ago and still developing.' 
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Lonergan, Bernard J F, Insight : A Study of Human Understanding (Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan : Volume 3), University of Toronto Press 1992 '... Bernard Lonergan's masterwork. Its aim is nothing less than insight into insight itself, an understanding of understanding' 
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Luke, and Alexander Jones (editor), in The Jerusalem Bible, Darton Longman and Todd 1966 'The third gospel's distinguishing quality is due to the attractive personality of its author, which shines through all his work. Luke is at once a most gifted writer and a man of marked sensibility. ... The originality of Luke is not in his key ideas (they are identical with those of Mark and Matthew) but in his religious mentality which, apart from slight traces of Paul's influence, is ovewhelmingly distinctive of Luke's personal temperament. Luke, in Dante's phrase, is the 'scriba mansuetudinis Christi', the faithful; recorder of Christ's lovingkindness.'  
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Matthew, and Alexander Jones (editor), in The Jerusalem Bible, Darton Longman and Todd 1966 Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels: '[Matthew is] a dramatic account in seven acts of the coming of the kingdom of heaven. 1. The preparation of the kingdom in the person of the child-Messiah. . . . 2. the formal proclamation of the charter of the Kingdom i.e. the Sermon on the Mount 3. The preaching of the kingdom by missionaries 4. The obstacles that the kingdom will meet from men 5. Its embryonic existence ... 6. The crisis . .. which is to prepare the way for the definitive coming of the kingdom . . . 7. The coming itself ... through the Passion and resurrection.' 
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Prothero, Stephen, God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter, HarperOne 2010 'Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Stephen Prothero 'On my last visit to Jerusalem, I struck up a conversation with an elderly man in the Muslim Quarter. As a shopkeeper, he seemed keen to sell me jewelry. As a Sufi mystic, he seemed even keener to engage me in matters of the spirit. He told me that religions are human inventions, so we must avoid the temptation of worshipping Islam rather than Allah. What matters is opening yourself up to the mystery that goes by the word God, and that can be done in any religion. As he tempted me with more turquoise and silver, he asked me what I was doing in Jerusalem. When I told him I was researching a book on the world’s religions, he put down the jewelry, looked at me intently, and, placing a finger on my chest for emphasis, said, "Do not write false things about the religions." As I wrote God is Is Not One, I came back repeatedly to this conversation. I never wavered from trying to write true things, but I knew that some of the things I was writing he would consider false. Mystics often claim that the great religions differ only in the inessentials. They may be different paths but they are ascending the same mountain and they converge at the peak. Throughout this book I give voice to these mystics: the Daoist sage Laozi, who wrote his classic the Daodejing just before disappearing forever into the mountains; the Sufi poet Rumi, who instructs us to "gamble everything for love"; and the Christian mystic Julian of Norwich, who revels in the feminine aspects of God. But my focus is not on these spiritual superstars. It is on ordinary religious folk—the stories they tell, the doctrines they affirm, and the rituals they practice. And these stories, doctrines, and rituals could not be more different. Christians do not go on the hajj to Mecca; Jews do not affirm the doctrine of the Trinity; and neither Buddhists nor Hindus trouble themselves about sin or salvation. Of course, religious differences trouble us, since they seem to portend, if not war itself, then at least rumors thereof. But as I researched and wrote this book I came to appreciate how opening our eyes to religious differences can help us appreciate the unique beauty of each of the great religions--the radical freedom of the Daoist wanderer, the contemplative way into death of the Buddhist monk, and the joy in the face of the divine life of the Sufi shopkeeper. I plan to send my Sufi shopkeeper a copy of this book. I have no doubt he will disagree with parts of it. But I hope he will recognize my effort to avoid writing "false things," even when I disagree with friends.' 
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Rossano, Matt, Superhatural Selection: How Religion Evolved, Oxford University Press 2010 Amazon Product Description 'In 2006, scientist Richard Dawkins published a blockbuster bestseller, The God Delusion. This atheist manifesto sparked a furious reaction from believers, who have responded with numerous books of their own. By pitting science against religion, however, this debate overlooks what science can tell us about religion. According to evolutionary psychologist Matt J. Rossano, what science reveals is that religion made us human. In Supernatural Selection, Rossano presents an evolutionary history of religion. Neither an apologist for religion nor a religion-basher, he draws together evidence from a wide range of disciplines to show the valuable--even essential--adaptive purpose served by systematic belief in the supernatural. The roots of religion stretch as far back as half a million years, when our ancestors developed the motor control to engage in social rituals--that is, to sing and dance together. Then, about 70,000 years ago, a global ecological crisis drove humanity to the edge of extinction. It forced the survivors to create new strategies for survival, and religious rituals were foremost among them. Fundamentally, Rossano writes, religion is a way for humans to relate to each other and the world around them--and, in the grim struggles of prehistory, it offered significant survival and reproductive advantages. It emerged as our ancestors' first health care system, and a critical part of that health care system was social support. Religious groups tended to be far more cohesive, which gave them a competitive advantage over non-religious groups, and enabled them to conquer the globe. Rather than focusing on one aspect of religion, as many theorists do, Rossano offers an all-encompassing approach that is rich with surprises, insights, and provocative conclusions.' 
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Stern, Jessica, Denial: A Memoir of Terror, Ecco 2010 From Publisher's Weekly: 'In this skillfully wrought, powerful study, a terrorism expert, national security adviser (The Ultimate Terrorists), and lecturer at Harvard, returns to a definitive episode of terror in her own early life and traces its grim, damaging ramifications. Having grown up in Concord, Mass., in 1973, Stern, then 15, and her sister, a year younger, were forcibly raped at gunpoint by an unknown intruder; when the police reopened the case in 2006, Stern was compelled to confront the devastating experience. The police initially tied the case to a local serial rapist, who served 18 years in prison before hanging himself. Stern's painful journey takes her back to the traumatic aftershocks of the rape, when she began to affect a stern, hard veneer not unlike the stiff-upper-lip approach to survival her own German-born Jewish father had assumed after his childhood years living through Nazi persecution. Covering up her deep-seated sense of shame with entrenched silence, Stern had a classic post-traumatic stress disorder—which she was only able to recognize after her own work interviewing terrorists. Stern's work is a strong, clear-eyed, elucidating study of the profound reverberations of trauma.' Copyright © Reed Business Information 
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van Heijenoort, Jean, From Frege to Goedel: A Source Book in Mathematical Logic 1879 - 1931. , iUniverse.com 1999 Amazon book description: 'Collected here in one volume are some thirty-six high quality translations into English of the most important foreign-language works in mathematical logic, as well as articles and letters by Whitehead, Russell, Norbert Weiner and Post…This book is, in effect, the record of an important chapter in the history of thought. No serious student of logic or foundations of mathematics will want to be without it.' 
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Woodward, Bob, and Carl Berstein, All the President's Men: The Most Devastating Political Detective Story of the 20th Century, Pocket 2005 Product Description 'THIS IS THE BOOK THAT CHANGED AMERICA Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing with headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward kept the tale of conspiracy and the trail of dirty tricks coming -- delivering the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon's scandalous downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post and toppled the President.' 
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Zee, Anthony, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell, Princeton University Press 2003 Amazon book description: 'An esteemed researcher and acclaimed popular author takes up the challenge of providing a clear, relatively brief, and fully up-to-date introduction to one of the most vital but notoriously difficult subjects in theoretical physics. A quantum field theory text for the twenty-first century, this book makes the essential tool of modern theoretical physics available to any student who has completed a course on quantum mechanics and is eager to go on. Quantum field theory was invented to deal simultaneously with special relativity and quantum mechanics, the two greatest discoveries of early twentieth-century physics, but it has become increasingly important to many areas of physics. These days, physicists turn to quantum field theory to describe a multitude of phenomena. Stressing critical ideas and insights, Zee uses numerous examples to lead students to a true conceptual understanding of quantum field theory--what it means and what it can do. He covers an unusually diverse range of topics, including various contemporary developments,while guiding readers through thoughtfully designed problems. In contrast to previous texts, Zee incorporates gravity from the outset and discusses the innovative use of quantum field theory in modern condensed matter theory. Without a solid understanding of quantum field theory, no student can claim to have mastered contemporary theoretical physics. Offering a remarkably accessible conceptual introduction, this text will be widely welcomed and used.  
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Papers
Chaitin, Gregory J, "Randomness and Mathematical Proof", Scientific American, 232, 5, May 1975, page 47-52. 'Although randomness can be precisely defined and can even be measured, a given number cannot be proved random. This enigma establishes a limit in what is possible in mathematics'. back
d'Espagnat, Bernard, "Quantum theory and reality", Scientific American, 241, 5, November 1979, page 128-140. 'Most particles or aggregates of particles that are ordinarily regarded as separate objects have interacted at some time in the past with other objects. The violation of separability seems to imply that in some sense all these objects constitute an indivisible whole. Perhaps in such a world the concept of an independently existing reality can reatain some meaning, but it will be an altered meaning and one remove from everyday experience.' (page 140). back
Goldstein, Sheldon, "Quantum Theory without Observers - Part Two", Physics Today, 51, 4, April 1998, page 38. back
Goldstein, Sheldon, "Quantum Theory without Observers - Part One", Physics Today, 51, 3, March 1998, page 42. back
Landauer, Rolf, "Dissipation and noise immunity in computation and communication ", Nature, 335, , 27 October 1988, page 779-784. 'Reversible computers which carry out each step without discarding information can, in principle, dissipate arbitrarily small amounts of energy per step if the computation is carried out sufficiently slowly. This has caused a re-examination of energy requirements in communication and measurement. There also, it is only those steps that discard information which have a lower limit on energy consumption. Such steps can be avoided in the transmission of information.'. back
Liebfried, Dietrich, Tilman Pfau,Christopher Monroe, "Shadows and Mirrors: Reconstructing the Quantum States of Atom Motion", Physics Today, 51, 4, April 1998, page 22 - 28. 'Quantum mechanics allows us only one incomplete glimpse of a wavefunction, but if systems can be identically prepared over and over, quantum equivalents of shadows and mirrors can provide the full picture.'. back
Links
Aquinas 13, Summa: I 2 3: Whether God exists?, I answer that the existence of God can be proved in five ways. The first and more manifest way is the argument from motion. . . . The second way is from the nature of the efficient cause. . . . The third way is taken from possibility and necessity . . . The fourth way is taken from the gradation to be found in things. . . . The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. back
Berlin Wall - Wikipedia, Berlin Wall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting August 13, 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Soviet-dominated Eastern Bloc officially claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a Socialist State in East Germany, however, in practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.' back
Bernard Zuel, Scissor Sisters: Night Work, 'Scissor Sisters do disco. As in head-up, bum-out music to dance to; to wave a hand in the air rather than waggle a finger in your face to. Sure, there's a strain of gay pride but it's far less important than the camp humour and touches of mild transgression (Whole New Way has a couple of ooh-er lines that may well have been borrowed from Benny Hill).' back
Charles McGrath, Private Trauma Sheds Light on Terrorism, 'CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Though you wouldn’t necessarily know it from talking to her, Jessica Stern is a renowned expert on terrorists and terrorism. . . . And at the time she thought the subject was just something she had fallen into. “But I now see that there’s a pattern,” she said, sitting in the white farmhouse, not far from the Harvard campus, where she lives with her third husband, Chester G. Atkins, a former Massachusetts congressman, and her 8-year-old son. “I’ve really been studying perpetrators and violence all my life.” How she came to this realization is the subject of her new book, “Denial: A Memoir of Terror,” which Ecco published last week.' back
Dominicans, Dominicans: Order of Preachers, 'WWW.OP.ORG is the official international Web site of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans). The branches of the Dominican family are multiple: brothers, contemplative nuns, congregations of contemplative and apostolic sisters, lay persons in fraternities or secular institutes, secular priests in fraternities. "Each one has its own character, its autonomy. However by taking part in the charism of saint Dominic, they share between them a single vocation to be preachers in the Church (Chapter of Mexico, 1992)."' back
Doreen Carvajal, Warning About Child Abuse Documents Led Belgian Police to Raid Its Offices, 'MECHELEN, Belgium — Four days after a series of police raids of Catholic institutions in Belgium that drew sharp criticism from the pope, the reason for the unusually aggressive operation has emerged: a formal accusation that the church was hiding information on sexual abuse lodged by the former president of an internal church commission handling such cases.' back
Graham Chapman, Yellowbeard, 'Yellowbeard, a comedy cast with the all-star comedians of the 1980s, is a unique, corny spoof on pirate films. Like a Mel Brooks movie, Yellowbeard's plot is a series of ridiculous events, á la Airplane, circulating around Yellowbeard's (Graham Chapman) discovery that he has an "intellectual" son. Brain versus brawn is the film's theme, as Yellowbeard is forced to take his kid on a booty-hunt, since the pirate's ex-wife, Betty (Madeline Kahn), tattooed the treasure map on their child's head. As the bumbling British, including Harvey "Blind" Pew (John Cleese) and Gilbert Murvin (Marty Feldman), sail The Royal Navy Frigate to trail Yellowbeard's ship, The Lady Edith, The Spanish Main, captained by El Nebuloso (Tommy Chong) and El Segundo (Cheech Marin) follows in close pursuit. Three ships in constant battle on the open seas make for multiple comedic situations reminiscent of Monty Python. Directed by Mel Damski (Charmed, Lois & Clark), Yellowbeard has a made-for-TV cheesiness, though the talent of the actors, not to mention its off-kilter British humor, rescues the film from utter stupidity. --Trinie Dalton back
Hamming distance - Wikipedia, Hamming distance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'In information theory, the Hamming distance between two strings of equal length is the number of positions at which the corresponding symbols are different. Put another way, it measures the minimum number of substitutions required to change one string into the other, or the number of errors that transformed one string into the other.' back
History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991) - Wikipedia, History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991) - Wikipedia, the free encylopedia, 'The Soviet Union's dissolution into independent nations began early in 1985. After years of Soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, economic growth was at a standstill. Failed attempts at reform, a stagnant economy, and war in Afghanistan led to a general feeling of discontent, especially[citation needed] in the Baltic republics and Eastern Europe. Greater political and social freedoms, instituted by the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, created a bad atmosphere of open criticism of the Moscow regime. The dramatic drop of the price of oil in 1985 and 1986, and consequent lack of foreign exchange reserves in following years to purchase grain profoundly influenced actions of the Soviet leadership.[1] Several Soviet Socialist Republics began resisting central control, and increasing democratization led to a weakening of the central government. The USSR's trade gap progressively emptied the coffers of the union, leading to eventual bankruptcy. The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin seized power in the aftermath of a failed coup that had attempted to topple reform-minded Gorbachev.' back
Jansenism - Wikipedia, Jansenism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Jansenism was a theology and a movement, condemned as a heresy by Pope Innocent X in 1655, that arose in the frame of the Counter-Reformation and the aftermath of the Council of Trent (1545–1563). It emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. Originating in the writings of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Otto Jansen, . . . ' back
John Paul II, Fides et Ratio: On the relationship between faith and reason. , para 2: 'The Church is no stranger to this journey of discovery, nor could she ever be. From the moment when, through the Paschal Mystery, she received the gift of the ultimate truth about human life, the Church has made her pilgrim way along the paths of the world to proclaim that Jesus Christ is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).' back
John Paul II, Ex Corde Ecclesiae, '27. Every Catholic University, without ceasing to be a University, has a relationship to the Church that is essential to its institutional identity. As such, it participates most directly in the life of the local Church in which it is situated; at the same time, because it is an academic institution and therefore a part of the international community of scholarship and inquiry, each institution participates in and contributes to the life and the mission of the universal Church, assuming consequently a special bond with the Holy See by reason of the service to unity which it is called to render to the whole Church. One consequence of its essential relationship to the Church is that the institutional fidelity of the University to the Christian message includes a recognition of and adherence to the teaching authority of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Catholic members of the university community are also called to a personal fidelity to the Church with all that this implies. Non-Catholic members are required to respect the Catholic character of the University, while the University in turn respects their religious liberty. back
Mark 16, Mark 16 KJV, '15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.' back
R P Feynman, Appendix F - Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle, 'PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER ACCIDENT (Source: The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident Report, June 6, 1986) William P. Rogers, Chairman Former Secretary of State under President Nixon (1969-1973), and Attorney General under President Eisenhower (1957-1961), currently a practicing attorney and senior partner in the law firm of Rogers & Wells. Born in Norfolk, New York, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1973. He holds a J.D. from Cornell University (1937) and served as LCDR, U.S. Navy (1942-1946). Neil A. Armstrong, Vice Chairman Former astronaut, currently Chairman of the Board of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc. Born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Mr. Armstrong was spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, July 16-24, 1969, the first manned lunar landing mission. He was Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1980 and was appointed to the National Commission on Space in 1985. David C. Acheson Former Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Communications Satellite Corporation (1967-1974), currently a partner in the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath. Born in Washington, DC, he previously served as an attorney with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (1948-1950) and was U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia (1961-1965). He holds an LL.B. from Harvard University (1948) and served as LT, U.S. Navy (1942-1946). Dr. Eugene E. Covert Educator and engineer. Born in Rapid City, South Dakota, he is currently Professor and Head, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Member of the National Academy of Engineering, he was a recipient of the Exceptional Civilian Service Award, USAF, in 1973 and the NASA Public Service Award in 1980. He holds a Doctorate in Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Richard P. Feynman Physicist. Born in New York City, he is Professor of Theoretical Physics at California Institute of Technology. Nobel Prize winner in Physics, 1965, he also received the Einstein Award in 1954, the Oersted Medal in 1972 and the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal in 1973. He holds a Doctorate in Physics from Princeton (1942). Robert B. Hotz Editor, publisher. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of Northwestern University. He was the editor-in-chief of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine (1953-1980). He served in the Air Force in World War II and was awarded the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. Since 1982, he has been a member of the General Advisory Committee to the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Major General Donald J. Kutyna, USAF Director of Space Systems and Command, Control, Communications. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he holds a Master of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1965). A command pilot with over 4,000 flight hours, he is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and nine air medals. Dr. Sally K. Ride Astronaut. Born in Los Angeles, California, she was a mission specialist on STS-7, launched on June 18, 1983, becoming the first American woman in space. She also flew on mission 41-G launched October 5, 1984. She holds a Doctorate in Physics from Stanford University (1978) and is still an active astronaut. Robert W. Rummel Space expert and aerospace engineer. Born in Dakota, Illinois, and former Vice President of Trans World Airlines, he is currently President of Robert W. Rummel Associates, Inc., of Mesa, Arizona. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is holder of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. Joseph F. Sutter Aeronautical engineer. Currently Executive Vice President of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company. Born in Seattle, he has been with Boeing since 1945 and was a principal figure in the development of three generations of jet aircraft. In 1984, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. In 1985, President Reagan conferred on him the U.S. National Medal of Technology. Dr. Arthur B. C. Walker, Jr. Astronomer. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he is currently Professor of Applied Physics and was formerly Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at Stanford University. Consultant to Aerospace Corporation, Rand Corporation and the National Science Foundation, he is a member of the American Physical Society, American Geophysical Union, and the American Astronomy Society. He holds a Doctorate in Physics from the University of Illinois (1962). Dr. Albert D. Wheelon Physicist. Born in Moline, Illinois, he is currently Executive Vice President, Hughes Aircraft Company. Also a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, he served as a consultant to the President's Science Advisory Council from 1961 to 1974. He holds a Doctorate in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1952). Brigadier General Charles Yeager, USAF (Retired) Former experimental test pilot. Born in Myra, West Virginia, he was appointed in 1985 as a member of the National Commission on Space. He was the first person to penetrate the sound barrier and the first to fly at a speed of more than 1,600 miles an hour. Dr. Alton G. Keel, Jr., Executive Director Detailed to the Commission from his position in the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, as Associate Director for National Security and International Affairs; formerly Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research, Development and Logistics; and Senate Staff. Born in Newport News, Virginia, he holds a Doctorate in Engineering Physics from the University of Virginia (1970). back
Sic transit gloria mundi - Wikipedia, Sic transit gloria mundi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Sic transit gloria mundi is a Latin phrase that means "Thus passes the glory of the world". . . . The phrase played a part in the ritual of papal coronation ceremonies until 1963. As the newly chosen pope proceeded from the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica in his sedia gestatoria, the procession stopped three times. On each occasion a papal master of ceremonies would fall to his knees before the pope, holding a silver or brass reed bearing a piece of smoldering tow. For three times in succession, as the cloth burned away, he would say in a loud and mournful voice, "Sancte Pater, sic transit gloria mundi!" ("Holy Father, so passes worldly glory!") These words, thus addressed to the pope, served as a reminder of the transitory nature of life and earthly honors. The stafflike instrument used in the aforementioned ceremony is known as a "sic transit gloria mundi", named for the master of ceremonies' words' back
TEC, Total Environment Centre, 'Established in 1972 by pioneers of the Australian environmental movement, TEC is a veteran of more than 100 successful campaigns. For over 30 years, we have been working to protect this country's natural and urban environment, flagging the issues, driving debate, supporting community activism and pushing for better environmental policy and practice.' back
The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, 'The Commission was established on 23 May, 2000, pursuant to the “Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000” and given three primary functions: to hear evidence of abuse from persons who allege they suffered abuse in childhood, in institutions, during the period from 1940 or earlier, to the present day; to conduct an inquiry into abuse of children in institutions during that period and, where satisfied that abuse occurred, to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse; and to prepare and publish reports on the results of the inquiry and on its recommendations in relation to dealing with the effects of such abuse.' back
The Pretenders, Lyrics: Thin Line Between Love and Hate, 'IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND YOU'RE JUST GETTING IN YOU KNOCK ON THE FRONT DOOR AND A VOICE SWEET AND LOW SAYS "WHO IS IT?" SHE OPENS UP THE DOOR AND LETS YOU IN NEVER ONCE ASKS WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN SHE SAYS "ARE YOU HUNGRY? DID YOU EAT YET? LET ME HANG UP YOUR COAT PASS ME YOUR HAT" ALL THE TIME SHE'S SMILING NEVER ONCE RAISES HER VOICE IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING YOU DON'T GIVE IT A SECOND THOUGHT' back
Wikipedia, Sheffer Stroke, 'The Sheffer stroke, also known as the NAND (Not AND) operation, is a logical operator with the following meaning: p NAND q is true if and only if not both p and q are true.' back

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