The great triumphs of modern science, from splitting the atom to unraveling the human genome, increasingly raise a troubling question: Is the pursuit of knowledge always a good thing? A long tradition in Western thought – largely ignored even by today’s critics of science – says it is not.
Author: Mark Lilla | Source: The Wilson Quarterly (Summer2001) | Subjects: Articles & Links, Excerpts, Intelligence | Knowledge, IT | Technology, Philosophy
There are many cookbook formulas for calculating probability, and they are useful at times. However, it is more fun to use logical thinking when tackling a probability problem, and you will be more confident that you have the correct answer.
One example is a computer game on Windows called “FreeCell.” It has 32,000 unique games in memory that randomly come up when you play a new … [ Read more ]
Author: Don A. Dechman | Source: The Bent (Tau Beta Pi), page 49 (Spring2001) | Subjects: Articles & Links, Excerpts, Math & Science, Miscellaneous
Virtually all civilizations, from the Greek and the ancient Mayan to our own, are united by a determined quest for evidence of harmony in the cosmos.
Author: Anthony Aveni | Source: The Wilson Quarterly (Winter2001) | Subjects: Articles & Links, Math & Science, Philosophy
Last May, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright handed German foreign minister Joschka Fischer a most confusing diagram. Beneath an array of apparently random scribbles, it depicted a map of Europe that appeared to have been defaced by an unusually energetic infant who had been allowed to run wild with a box of crayons.
After some effort, the eye could discern a number of sharply dissimilar circles … [ Read more ]
Author: Martin Walker | Source: The Wilson Quarterly (Winter2001) | Subjects: Articles & Links, International, Politics & Public Policy
Ted Cohen professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago and a recipient of the university’s award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, visited eight campuses last year as a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. One of the topics on which be lectured was ‘Jokes,” which is also the title of his latest book. This thought-provoking article is adapted from his lecture.
Author: Ted Cohen | Source: The Key Reporter (Summer2001) | Subjects: Articles & Links, Philosophy